Midnight Family

By reading this koob, you will learn about the private ambulance industry of Mexico City and a family whose story captures the social tensions underlying it.

You will also discover:

• Why there is a large private ambulance industry

• The lives of individuals employed in the private ambulance industry

• The relationships between police officers and private ambulance operators

• The ethical dilemmas posed by private medical services

Car crashes, disasters, attacks—these events, when they occur, put you in a very vulnerable situation. When you call an emergency line for an ambulance, you never doubt the intentions of those who show up with sirens blaring. But who really are the people who appear in your most desperate time of need? Documentary filmmaker Luke Lorentzen follows the private ambulances operated by the Ochoa family as they “ride” a fine line between saving lives and getting paid. In places like Mexico City, private emergency services dominate the healthcare landscape. He provides a chilling view of how struggling healthcare systems are forced to fill in the gaps. But in the world of health services, makeshift solutions can have deadly consequences.