Concerns raised in relation to ambulance services

St John Ambulance Fiji says there is need for more ambulances to cater for the increasing demand.

St John Ambulance’s Manager Ambulance Services Lloyd Ahtack says they currently have two ambulances while two other ambulances are in garage undergoing maintenance.

He says they receive around 9-10 calls a day.

Ahtack says they operate from Amy Street, Suva and they provide service to the whole of Fiji.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised in relation to ambulance services between the Suva and Nausori corridor.

A woman from Nabua told Fijivillage that she could not arrange an ambulance for her mother last Thursday as she was told that it was unavailable.

She had made calls to the National Fire Authority, St John Ambulance and the CWM Hospital.

She was trying to rush her mother who was a cancer patient to the CWM hospital as her condition was deteriorating at their Nabua home.

The family later managed to take the 49-year-old woman to the CWM hospital in a taxi but it was too late and she was pronounced dead on arrival.

In another case, a woman contacted Fijivillage Tuesday from the Nausori Health Centre saying that her father suffered a heart attack and the medical officials told her that there was no ambulance to take him to the CWM hospital.

She later told us that they managed to get an ambulance from the National Fire Authority who took her father to the CWM hospital.

We have sent questions to the Ministry of Health and a response is expected soon.