~To get 7 hydraulic stretchers~
PHILIPSBURG–The St. Maarten Ambulance Department received a boost earlier this week with the commissioning of the first of three ambulances that the department will be receiving.
Health Minister Emil Lee told reporters at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, that the two additional ambulances are currently being manufactured and outfitted and are expected to arrive in the country within a few months. Additionally, seven hydraulic stretchers were ordered for the department, the first of which has already arrived.
“Many employees at the Ambulance Department have complained that they have problems with their back, joints and knees while using the manual stretcher,” Lee said. The hydraulic stretcher, which allows the staff to push a button to enable the stretcher to elevate, will reduce the strain on ambulatory staff
Lee also said that the Health Ministry has finalised the plans to digitalise the run sheets for the Ambulance Department. “Currently, the administration for the Ambulance Department is a paper system which needs to be manually entered into the administration,” he said. The process will now be automated.
Besides getting new equipment, investments have also been made in training programmes for the ambulance staff which were done with RAV, a training service from the Netherlands (Brabant) that worked with the ambulance staff in St. Maarten a few months ago.
“I think this goes well with the Ministry’s cooperation with different social partners for the first aid courses in the community. It’s always best if citizens and in particular teachers, go through this type of training and know what to do and what not to do in emergency situations. All of this fits well into the ministry’s plan of improving the overall quality of healthcare in St. Maarten,” Lee noted.
He said investments in the Department are a critical part of the country’s emergency response team.
Source: Daily Herald
Ambulance Department gets first of three new ambulances
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