St John deploys nurses to support medical emergency team

THE St John Ambulance health emergency support team (Hest) has deployed 10 registered nurses to support the PNG national emergency medical team (EMT) and Team Sana in Goroka, Daru and Mt Hagen.
Western, Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands are seeing a surge in Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases and deaths.
Provincial health authorities have called for help in responding to the cases overwhelming their health systems.
In support of Team Sana, three Hest nurses were deployed to Goroka, four nurses to Daru and a further three nurses are to be deployed to Mt Hagen.
St John as PNG’s national emergency ambulance service, will often be the first on scene when disaster or major emergency events occur.
In the case of significant health emergency situation, St John may be required to provide a range of emergency health support measures at the incident site to save lives or reduce suffering.
In partnership with Team Sana, St John developed and delivered a Hest course.
The Hest course prepares St John doctors, nurses, ambulance and health workers with the essential knowledge and skills to provide health care during a major health emergency or disaster, as part of a coordinated response to the incident.
As a result of this training, St John Hest activities will now be able to better integrate with and support the lead of PNG EMT Team Sana.
The provision of health support by St John following a disaster or emergency event draws on existing workforce training as well as the organisation’s resources and coordination arrangements to provide care delivery in challenging and demanding environments for the service of humanity.