Through a collaborative effort between the George-town Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the Atlantic Emergency Medical Service, 80 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) along with nurses from the GPHC and the West Deme-rara Regional Hospital (WDRH) benefited from a one-week training programme in emergency medicine, GINA said.
At a graduation ceremony which was held on Friday at the Project Dawn Medical Centre, Liliendaal, the participants received their certificates.
The training programme focused on trauma and nursing care along with disaster medicine, Dan Batsie, head of the Atlantic Emergency Medical Service training said, according to GINA.
Speaking at the ceremony Dr. Zulfikar Bux, Director of Accident and Emergency, GPHC, said that the two collaborating bodies share a long history.
He added that the EMS service is designed to provide emergency medical response for patients, who are in need of urgent care before they arrive at the hospital. It is administered by EMTs who are specially trained to deliver emergency medical care to patients on scene and en route to the hospital, GINA said.
The service which was established in February 2014, with guidance from Dr Bux at the hospital, has thus far seen the team responding to more than 3000 emergencies, GINA reported.
According to Dr. Bux, this batch of technicians is the first in a pilot project that aims to have a national emergency medical response service set up at the country’s five main hospitals and possibly across the country.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), GPHC, Michael Khan also expressed gratitude to the visiting team and pointed out that the National EMS body is being housed at Project Dawn, which means that the EMTs will no longer function from the GPHC, but rather from a more independent facility.
A dispatch system is currently being developed, and will be a part of the National EMS body’s housing unit, GINA reported.
The current EMS comprises a total of 20 individuals and two ambulances.
