Eight working ambulances to service Tobago

Tuesday’s road accident, which involved an EHS ambulance, has left eight ambulances to service Tobago.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer David Thomas said the fire services received a call at approximately 4.45 pm on Tuesday that an EMS ambulance and Toyota Crown Royal Saloon had collided at the corner of the Claude Noel Highway and Rockley Vale junction.

He said the casualties were all from the car, with three being children – seven years, four years and eight months.

The ambulance was travelling west along the highway transporting a covid19 patient to the Intensive Care Unit of the Scarborough General Hospital. In the ambulance were also a registered nurse and two emergency medical services technicians.

The children and their parents were taken to hospital.

Speaking during Wednesday’s virtual post Executive Council media briefing, THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael confirmed that an ambulance was involved.

“That was a very unfortunate event. All of the individuals who were involved in that event are okay – okayish. Some...were not able to be discharged, but those individuals are being treated and they are being treated very well at the Scarborough General Hospital.”

She said the division is working very closely and in close contact with the families “to ensure that everything works well.”

She said this accident now means that the island has one less ambulance. Currently there are eight functioning ambulances, and she has been in close communication with the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA).

“They have assured me that they have reprioritised where those ambulances are placed, where they are been dispatched from, and the removal of that one ambulance from the system for this short period should not affect response time, and should not affect us being able to respond to you if you have a medical emergency.”