The Tribune

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Senior Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

EMERGENCY Medical Services personnel at the Princess Margaret Hospital are afraid the new government will overlook their needs after the May 7 general elections.

While they have been promised five new ambulances before the end of the 2012, EMS workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they also lack essential life saving tools, including certain medications that are available to the private ambulance services.

"We are basically a taxi service to the hospital, as compared to the private ambulance services which are emergency rooms on wheels," said one EMS worker.

"They have an arsenal of pre-hospital medications to treat the patient at the scene."

A former EMS worker said he personally watched an asthma patient die en route to the hospital several years ago because the ambulance was not equipped with the medication to counteract an asthma attack.

"Unfortunately, at that time, this medication was not at our disposal," he said.

"We could do nothing for her. Even more unfortunate is that now, 20-plus years later, the medications needed to save lives are still currently unavailable on our government operated ambulance service."

An EMS worker currently on staff said the ambulances even lack "something as simple as aspirin" to curb the affects of a heart attack.

The worker said officials at the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) are afraid workers might "steal" the drugs.

"I feel that many individuals are denied much needed pre-hospital medications when the Bahamas' government-operated ambulance service responds to their needs," the former EMS worker said.

They are also concerned that no political party's manifesto has specifically mentioned fixing the problems associated with ambulance services in the Bahamas.

In February, it took three ambulances to get a man to the emergency room after the first responding vehicles broke down on the way to hospital.

It was subsequently revealed that many of the ambulances in the PHA's fleet have serious maintenance issues.

While those issues could be resolved with the acquisition of several new ambulances, the EMS workers say more needs to be done about the entire service - especially ambulance response times.

The government has been talking about de-centralising the ambulances for years. However, they remain stationed at PMH.

According to EMS workers, the average response time should be five to seven minutes, but it often takes almost 30 minutes due to their centralised point of operation, staff shortages and the number available ambulances.

"New Providence needs to not only increase the number of staffed units available," one paramedic said, "units must also be strategically placed throughout the island so that there will be a unit in the vicinity of a call, no matter where that location may be.

"Upon arrival these ambulances need medications at their disposal to treat victims and they will essentially become an emergency room on wheels as opposed to being a taxi service."

Another paramedic said private ambulances on the island have seen many advancements in the past five years, while PMH's service remains stagnant.

He did, however, tout PMH's introduction of D50 (sugar water) to counter hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

EMS workers say they want to see a plan that will help them to be a more effective and modern ambulance service, so they can save lives.