Ambulances

Does Anguilla have an effective ambulance service? Recently, National Bank of Anguilla and Caribbean Commercial Bank donated EC$80,000.00 to the Health Authority of Anguilla for the purchase of a new ambulance. This new ambulance was intended to replace the two old ones that frequently failed to start, or broke down during an emergency.

The need was obvious. As Dr Bonnie Richardson-Lake, PS Health Department, said at the cheque presenting ceremony,

“Everyone in Anguilla needs to feel that they have access to good quality care, and that in case of an emergency they would be well looked after, thus making them feel more secure.”

The cheque presenting ceremony

More recently, Cap Juluca Hotel handed over an even newer ambulance to the Health Authority. It cost US$85,000.00.

As CEO of the Health Authority, Darlene Baptiste, said at the handing over ceremony, she was grateful for the partnership between the hotel and the Authority,

“which provided an opportunity to provide optimum health-care services to the people of Anguilla.”

According to the newspaper report, Chairman of the HAA, Dr Franklin Lloyd, said,

“the provision of the ambulance was another demonstration of the Authority’s determination to continue to improve the quality and timeliness of health care. He called on the Emergency Medical Technicians to function at all times as dedicated professionals with efficiency, commitment and compassion, noting that although the ambulance was well equipped, it was for them to operate it at a high level to ensure quality service.”

The handing over ceremony

At the same handing over ceremony for the new Cap Juluca ambulance, the Director of Medical Services, the Rt Hon Dr Sir Kennedy Simmonds spoke. He said that,

“the state-of-the-art ambulance, coupled with the ongoing updating training of the Emergency Medical Technicians, would help the HAA to deliver more effective and efficient first emergency response service to the people of Anguilla.”

Cap Juluca's new ambulance

You would think, with all that new equipment, not to mention the high hopes and promises expressed at the two handing over ceremonies, Anguilla’s ambulance and emergency service would be one of the best in the West Indies.

Listen to Darren Augustus’ story. In the calypso world he is known as The Mighty Tornado. About two weeks ago, on 24 April, he ate lobster. It was meant to be his birthday celebration. It turns out he had developed an allergy to lobster. By the following day he had become violently ill. His limbs had swelled up. He could not walk. He was vomiting, and suffering from diarrhea. His head was spinning.

He did what you or I would have done. He telephoned the hospital for an ambulance to come and rush him to the hospital.

The response? “Sorry, we have no gasoline for any of the ambulances.”

Fortunately, his girlfriend could drive. She got him to the hospital, no thanks to any of the three ambulances then in the service of the HAA.

Read it, and weep for us. Clearly, Anguilla at present has no effective ambulance service. Regardless of the amounts of money donated and invested.

My recommendation is that whoever is in charge of that department ought to be fired, for cause, forthwith.

I only waiting to hear the calypso!