GREAT BAY--Claims by MP Lyndon Lewis on Friday that the ambulance response time for a traffic accident in Simpson Bay in the early hours of Thursday morning, turned out to be incorrect.
The Peoples' Tribune contacted The Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU), through its President Sharon Cannegieter to seek clarity on what the MP had alleged. Cannegieter reached out to the Ambulance Department who in turn provided a factual explanation.
MP Lewis alleged that the ambulance took “approximately 25 minutes” to arrive at the scene, linking the supposed delay to ongoing go-slow action by ambulance and fire personnel. He further warned that public safety and lives were being placed at risk due to the industrial action.
According to the Ambulance Department, the ambulance received the call at 4:39 a.m. for a female victim who sustained a head laceration and was complaining of pain in her head and neck. The ambulance left headquarters at 4:46 a.m., well within the required timeframe for an A1 trauma emergency call. Upon arrival, the crew began immediate medical intervention.
The ambulance departed the scene at 5:27 a.m., after stabilizing the patient for safe transport. This timeframe also indicates the amount of care and time personnel took to ensure the patient was ready for transport. The patient arrived at the St. Maarten Medical Center at 5:38 a.m.
Stabilization at the scene is an essential part of emergency medical response, particularly with head and neck injuries, where careful assessment is critical to avoid further harm. Many people think the ambulance simply arrives, picks up a patient, and leaves. That is not how emergency medicine works. Thorough examination and stabilization are key, especially when dealing with trauma patients. Also of note are road conditions which factor heavily into transport time, as ambulance personnel must prioritize patient safety while en route and back.
The union president reiterated that the ongoing go-slow is not political but a direct response to the longstanding failure of successive governments to honor commitments made to ambulance and fire personnel. On Thursday in Parliament she stressed that her members are dedicated servants of the public. Even in a go-slow, they will not abandon life-threatening calls. They have been selective with certain types of responses, but lives will never be jeopardized.
This incident highlights the fact that in such an environment of an ongoing, sensitive impasse that affects citizens directly, Members of Parliament as such, should be responsible with public statements that mischaracterize the work of first responders. While MPs may believe they are drawing attention to an issue, they risk turning the public against emergency workers by spreading inaccurate information. That is dangerous and unfair to the men and women who risk their own safety to protect the community.
Cannegieter reminded Parliament that she herself had expressed discomfort with any industrial action, which is why she urgently sought a meeting with the Prime Minister earlier this week. That meeting was scheduled next week, much longer than the union and its members were willing to wait after having already waited for years. Ambulance and Fire Department personnel explained, directly and indirectly that they have acted out of frustration and disrespect of being ignored, not out of disregard for the people they serve whom they are committed to serve with professionalism and care.
https://tribune-site.webflow.io//articles/mps-must-be-responsible-with-statements-ambulance-facts-contradicts-mp-lewis-statements-on-accident-response-time
