Georgetown: A Mission which has been resolutely sought after in Guyana for the last several years has finally been accomplished. A much-needed Emergency Medical Service, (EMS) has been launched under the banner of the Guyana Fire Service and aims to guarantee the public swift and easy access to ambulance service in times of emergency.
A joint initiative of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Public Security, the project was launched last Thursday at the home of Project Dawn at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
With Director of the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Zulificar Bux as head, the service is staffed with more than 90 specially trained Emergency Technicians (Responders) and is equipped with three ambulances which will at all times be based at the Guyana Fire Service, between emergency calls.
When calls are made to the service, persons can expect to see an ambulance appearing on the scene in record time, equipped with uniformed, qualified and professional emergency responders who will be able to stabilise and render life-saving emergency intervention if needs be, pending arrival at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital.
Under this novel arrangement in Guyana, the emergency lines 913 and 912 will be merged into one, that being 911 alone. So persons requiring the service should dial 911.
Dr. Bux explained that the Ministry of Public Security has been tasked with the administration of the whole process and will be executed by the Guyana Fire Service. The GFS will ensure that the ambulances are run efficiently and the service rolled out in a positive and meaningful way.
In the interest of efficiency and security, Dr. Bux said, only Fire Officers will be allowed to drive the buses.
Phase One of the national EMS project will see ambulances based at the Central Fire Station at Stabroek, Alberttown, Diamond and Mon Repos Fire Stations, along with EMTs available on a 24-hour basis. It is anticipated that this phase will extend over the next five years.
Chief Fire Officer Compton Sparman recalled that in earlier years, the Fire Service would be called upon to respond to emergencies dealing with properties and life, using the ambulance service.
That response was subsequently removed, he said.
“I don’t know for what reason [it was removed] but what I can tell you is that it has come back home to where it belongs. Today our greatest wish has been accomplished, [by being restored with] a profession that we know best to operate in Guyana.”
Dr. Bux noted that in the past there was never any formal arrangement, premised on guidelines in the EMS standard. He said that from 1982 to 2010 it was more of a dormant service with sporadic responses for immediate help, with no coordinated mechanism in place.
Then between 2010 and 2012, he started a pilot project targeting ranks of the Police Force who are basically first responders in time of medical emergencies.
Thankfully, Vanderbilt Medical Centre, which is a pioneer of EMS development in the United States, started specialty training here.
Dr. Bux recalled working to get a proposal going for EMS development in Guyana. Even though some training was done in 2014, under a pilot programme, the project did not get very far with the previous administration. He however had the support of Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle, who had been involved during the training of fire officers in 2014.
But by the next year, the administration had changed, and with Dr. George Norton’s ascension to the position of Minister of Health in 2015, Dr. Bux submitted the proposal to him for perusal and that was the turning point.
The Minister of Public Health immediately made contact with the Minister of Public Security and within record time, things got moving. Minister Ramjattan, with the help of his hard-working staff sought to rework the proposal.
Having won the favour of both ministers, the proposal was taken to Cabinet and was subsequently approved.
The Ministry of Public Security has mandated Fire Chief Marlon Gentle to take responsibility for the entire process. The Ministry of Public Health will take responsibility for ongoing training for the Emergency Technicians and other health considerations, including certification, ensuring they stay within the demands of medical practice and ensuring that there is safe and effective patient-care communication within the system.
Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton, noted that those trained under the pilot programme in 2014 have so far responded to over 5,000 calls and made three deliveries en route to the hospital.
Minister Ramjattan expressed great satisfaction that the effort has come to fruition.
The minister recalled that in conversation with the Fire Chief that lasted for about six to seven minutes, he was impressed and gave his affirmation to the proposal. And considering it to be a good thing for Guyana, Minister Ramjattan said: “The world is becoming more complex and Guyana too, has to become a little more complex and sophisticated.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Norton, who said that the launch had significant, far-reaching implications for the development of Guyana, noting that the Liliendaal venue would serve as the hub of the national emergency medical services of Guyana. He gave the assurance that the EMS- trained staff will be responding to public calls for emergency assistance, and expressed pride in this development.
The minister also disclosed that just a few days ago, an ambulance was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health at Ituni to be used specifically for the Ituni community, adding, “This shows that we are moving in the direction of extending emergency ambulance services right across the country.”
And Dr. Bux gratefully acknowledged that “the EMS system has been proven in all areas of medicine that it is helping to save people and bringing them faster to the hospital, so that we can take care of them.”
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