Gov’t launches Emergency Medical Service

The government today rolled out its pilot Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system which will become operational on Monday, November 21 and according to Government the aim of the EMS is to improve the response time to medical emergencies.

National Medical Director of the EMS, Dr. Zulfikar Bux during the launching said the EMS had its genesis in the 1980s with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) but it was never formalized.

He informed that from then to around the year 2010 there was never any coordinated effort in this regard, rather sporadic responses mainly from public spirited citizens, which was not the best option in certain situations.

According to the Government Information Agency,the medical services of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are being coupled with the discipline of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to deliver the EMS.

The GFS will have five ambulances available for the EMS pilot which will cover areas from Timehri, East Bank Demerara to Enmore, East Coast of Demerara.

The EMS is a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Public Health and Public Security.

The Ministry of Public Health will be responsible for certifying and training ranks from the GFS to become Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).

Public Security minister, Khemraj Ramjattan in his remarks today noted that the world is becoming more sophisticated and to meet those demands Guyana too needs to become complex and sophisticated. He underscored the importance of securing the health of citizens through this integrated medical service.

Some 14 ranks from the GFS were certified as EMTs in July and others have been trained to identify whether an emergency requires an ambulance.