Climate Extremes and Healthcare Access: Assessing the Impact of Severe Weather Events on Emergency Motorcycle Ambulance Availability

Purpose: Climate extremes are a catastrophic manifestation of climate change. Motorcycle ambulances are an emerging sort of vehicle that is intended to offer quick access in large cities. This study evaluated the effect of extreme weather events on the accessibility of emergency motorcycle ambulance services. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of motorcycle ambulance operation data from January 2020 to December 2024. Data on motorcycle ambulance operating times, rainfall levels in the operational area, and ground temperatures at the Emergency medical services (EMS) unit were collected. Continuous data were presented as means and standard deviations (SD), while categorical data were reported as frequencies and percentages. Associations between categorical variables were evaluated using the chi-square test. A two-tailed p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: With a total of 569 operations documented over the five years, services were postponed during rainy weather and when ground temperatures exceeded 40°C. The availability of operational motorcycle ambulances declined from 81.28% to 34.03%. Increased rainfall (hours lost increased from 1065.1 to 2711.7; p