EMS defends its response time after man dies

15

 The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment is aware of a publication by various media houses regarding a traffic accident which took place on Friday 5th August 2022 in Fig Tree Drive.

In the various media reports, it is being alleged that the Antigua Barbuda Emergency Medical Services took a while to arrive on the scene which resulted in the driver and other coworkers of the vehicle from which the patient initially fell transported him to the hospital and was met by the Ambulance in the vicinity of the Townhouse Megastore.

The Ministry investigated the allegations and would like to inform the public of the facts in this particular matter.

The ABEMS received the call from the Public Safety Network (911) through EMS dispatch at 3.52pm

At the time of receiving the call, two ambulances and the rapid response unit that were on shift at the time were out in the field attending to other emergencies

Once those calls were completed, the first available ambulance responded immediately to the scene of the accident at 4.08pm

The Ambulance intercepted the vehicle transporting the patient in the vicinity of the Townhouse Megastore at 4:11pm

The patient was transferred to the Ambulance and necessary interventions made by the Emergency Medical Technicians

The ABEMS left the scene at 4:15pm and the patient was handed over to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Emergency Room at 4:19pm

The length of time from receiving the call from the Public Safety Network (911) to the patient being handed over to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre was 26 minutes

The timeframe from when the ABEMS received the call from 911to when the patient was handed over to the Hospital is considered to be acceptable by international standards

Notwithstanding, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment and the Management of the Antigua Barbuda Emergency Medical Services would like to express our deepest condolences to the family on the passing of their loved one.

Meanwhile, the ABEMS is concerned about the level of non-emergency calls that are requesting the ambulatory services. From January 1st to July 31st, 2022, the ABEMS received 7,841 calls.

The department receives on average, 35 calls per day and of these calls, only 20% are genuine emergencies. This practice, plays a major factor in the logistical challenges of response time to such emergencies.

The ABEMS, upon receiving calls from the Public Safety Network (911) has a responsibility to respond to every call since every call is treated as a genuine emergency until proven otherwise.

Even if after assessing the situation upon arrival it is determined by the Emergency Medical Technicians that it is not a genuine emergency, the ABEMS has a responsibility to still transfer the patient to the hospital once they request it. We are therefore imploring members of the public to desist from this practice so that the ABEMS can continue to provide the best possible pre-hospital care to those persons who are genuinely in need of emergency assistance.

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15 COMMENTS

    • U gonna pay the surgeon?
      Are u aware that the medical staff at MSJ depends on the public for there monthly pay.
      The same public that argue to pay $20 outpatient fee
      The same public that argue they pay Mercia l benefit and help build MSJ so they not paying for an X-ray 🙄🙄🙄🙄

  2. International standards my ass! Antigua is 108sq miles……yall took 26 minutes! That is too long if your intention is to save lives. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!

    Imagine if the driver and others didn’t use their brains, and decide to drive and meet the ambulance along the route? It would have been 26 minutes X 3 to reach Fig Tree Drive and back to town.

    Whole 4 minutes from Megastore to SLBMC, yall must have stopped at the traffic lights and waited in regular traffic…..how can anyone with basic common sense find this okay….how?

  3. Playing Monday morning quarterbacks. They are just trying to cover their behinds.All Saints is a very central town in Antigua. It should have a Fire Truck,Ambulance and EMS stationed there 24/7. If there are not enough Ambulances buy frigging more to satisfy the needs of the people.

  4. Maybe people are calling the ambulance cause it’s the only way to get any attention at that hospital in less than 12 hours. That’s what I hear, haven’t been there in a few years (thank God). If I’m wrong the relevant persons can correct me.

  5. How does the general public determine what is an Emergency requiring EMS services?
    When faced with a health situation the first thing is usually how to get the afflicted person assistance in the shortest possible time.
    Perhaps using social media in a positive way by doing health-related educational podcasts or you-tube videos highlighting what can be done to help the sick or the injured and to highlight what are cases for the EMS and/or Emergency Hospital calls or clinical or doctor visits.
    Time for us, as a people, to get pro-active rather than to just be reactive.

  6. The few negative persons that made their comments let’s look at other scenarios.
    1. Why wasn’t the 911 call right away.
    2. The driver an the person who called 911 should have been communicating with their exact locations.
    3. Antiguans don’t respect Emergency 🚨 vehicles what so ever.
    4. On arrival of EMS what was his condition because remember moving him and not doing it correctly could add more to his injuries.
    5. The drive was still in shock and he’s driving carelessly seeking help.
    6. Antigua dunce drivers trying to understand why he’s driving that way.
    7. Location of where EMS WAS CALLED to where it happened.
    8 . The dunce can’t drive Antiguans like myself causing obstruction.
    9. On arrival they did their best and the driver is now responsible because this is not the first time someone ever fell off the back of a truck and died the police have warned truck drivers and construction companies to desist from transporting staff in that manner. So let’s point fingers in the right direction.
    10. Job well done EMS🥳🥳🥳

  8. Bite me…. you have a right to your opinion but I only hope when shyt hits home you still standard behind your comments…..

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