Faster emergency medical response in the works

Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 June 2016, 20:40 by Denis Chabrol

Guyanese should benefit from an improved emergency medical response service in the future, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said Wednesday.

The Minister said Cabinet was briefed by Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan on the state of local Emergency Medical Services (EMS), plans to improve this, and the “response to emergencies”.

Minister Harmon explained that the plan’s first phase, to initiate needed improvements, will be completed within a year and result in a reduction of time from reports being made to transportation to medical facilities. The aim, the Minister said, is to have within 15 minutes, patients picked up and taken to a medical facility.

He added, “Initially the project is going to be dealing with Region Four and along the coast where 80 percent of the population resides and later on to other areas. The programme will also build on the current medical evacuation arrangement from hinterland communities and riverain areas,” he stated. He added, “ the plan envisages the compilation of these assets into one system, that will benefit the Guyanese people by large”

The plan will see an increased number of ambulances, more training of emergency medical personnel, fully equipped medical transportation such as road and water ambulances and aircraft.

The next phase will encompass, “the rest of Guyana”, Minister Harmon further stated.