31 more EMTs to boost country’s response service

Apr 06, 2017 News

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A total of 31 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) were yesterday recognised for their completion of the medical aspect of training that will make them ready to join the national Emergency Medical Service (EMS) programme. During the course of the coming fortnight they will be involved in the firefighting aspect of the response, after which they will receive certificates of completion.
At a graduation ceremony held at Project Dawn, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown yesterday, the importance of the EMS programme was emphasised by its Medical Director, Dr. Zulfikar Bux. He underscored that the training and development of the EMS programme, which was introduced last year, has been working well to fulfil its emergency response mandate.
Since the programme falls under the EMS office of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Bux disclosed that all protocols, policies, certifications, training and medical direction for the EMTs come from the Ministry’s Medical Emergency Services office.
But at the ceremony yesterday, Dr. Bux revealed that although he is tasked with the portfolio of Emergency Medical Director for the office, “most of the hard work would have been done by my small team of two individuals with support from another from overseas.”
Dr. Bux was at the time making reference to Mr. Ron Morris, the Chief Emergency Medical Technician, Mr. Nandram Datt, the Quality Improvement Officer, and Peace Corps Volunteer, Mr. Mark O’Brien.
According to Dr. Bux, Morris and Datt have been working in tandem with him in order to ensure that the medical mandate of the EMS programme is delivered.
“They would have done all the training – most of the work – to get to where we are today, including training this batch of EMTs,” said Dr. Bux as he considered that O’Brien, who has already spent two years in Guyana and will soon depart these shores, has also been very instrumental to the programme.
O’Brien, a Cardiac EMT from the United States, has been volunteering his services to the EMS programme for the past year. He has worked closely and mentored the EMTs, and according to Dr. Bux, was able to do a great deal of ‘behind the scenes’ training for the EMTs.
According to Dr. Bux, “for this EMS [programme] to work properly there is a lot of behind the scenes coordination, and it is a unique venture where we had to collaborate with two ministries to ensure we have a smooth operation.”
The efficiency of the programme, according to Dr. Bux, could not have been possible without the support of Fire Chief, Mr. Marlon Gentle who also delivered remarks at yesterday’s ceremony.
According to Gentle, the collaboration between Public Health and Public Security Ministries has in fact started to draw some level of envy.
“Only two days ago I received an email from the Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Chief Fire Officers for me to attend the next meeting and to deliver a presentation on this collaborative emergency medical services incorporating the fire services and the health sector in Guyana,” said Gentle, as he pointed out that “this speaks to us moving collaboration to a next level in that the nation state of Guyana can benefit when the synergies of two major entities could collaborate in some way so that the common good is that the people of Guyana benefit from a peculiar service that these two organisations have to offer.”
Expressing delight about the programme yesterday too were Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, and Member of Parliament, Mr. John Adams, who delivered remarks on behalf of Public Health Minister, Ms, Volda Lawrence. Both officials yesterday spoke glowingly of the EMS programme.

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