Demand for ambulance services up

 By EUNAR NOREEN KARATU

MORE than 80 per cent of deaths in low-income countries occur in hospitals, a recent publication in the Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine.

St John assistant commissioner Matt Cannon told  The National in Port Moresby yesterday that more ambulances were needed in NCD and Central to meet the expected demand generated by an increasing population, the predicted increase in trauma and help to minimise deaths outside  hospitals.  

“To increase the availability of urgent care in low-income countries with minimal medical infrastructure, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends implementing programmes that strengthen prehospital trauma care such as training lay people in first aid and having ambulances that can be at the scene of an accident quickly,” he said.

“In high-income countries such as the United States, the 80 per cent rate drops to 59 percent. “This difference is due to the greater number of skilled professionals in wealthy countries who are able to administer care within the immediate post-injury period,” Cannon said.

He said trauma was complex and no one could vaccinate against it.

He said the two best strategies that could address traumatic injuries were:

• Public awareness programmes, like first aid; and
• An effective emergency care system that included a rapid response ambulance service, delivering immediate care to the patient and prompt conveyance to hospital.

“The demand for ambulance services has increased significantly over the past few years,” he said. 

“St John’s is currently monitoring the number of calls it receives to which it is unable to send an ambulance because funding for additional ambulances is lacking.”