Co-ordination between health facilities and National St John Ambulance (NStJA) enabled the timely treatment of victims of a motor vehicle accident on the Hiritano Highway in Central Province early this week.
The accident on Monday involved a truck carrying passengers that ran off the road between the Agevairu and Aikasiala sections of the highway, resulting in 27 casualties. No deaths were reported.
NStJA dispatched five ambulances and four responder units, deploying first responders, paramedics, ambulance doctors, nurses, and health extension officers to provide pre-hospital care and coordinate patient transport.
The National Ambulance Operations Center (NAOC) was notified of the incident at 12:38pm. through a 111 call and immediately initiated a mass casualty emergency response.
The Bereina Reservist Ambulance Unit was dispatched at 12:39pm followed by additional ambulances and responder units from Port Moresby at 12:40pm.
At Doa, patients underwent further triage and assessment. Five patients were identified as critically injured and transported on stretchers in the five ambulances.
The remaining 22 victims, including one seriously injured and 21 injured but in stable condition, were transported in ambulances and responder vehicles, according to the severity of their injuries. Seven of these victims were transported by the Agevairu ambulance.
Upon arrival in Port Moresby, patients in stable condition were transported to the Gerehu Hospital, while critical patients and others requiring advanced care were taken to Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH).
Executive Director, Ambulance Operations, Terrence Torea, said: “Even though we were stretched with resources, we ensured that every one of the 27 patients received the necessary care.
” Critically injured patients were transported in our ambulances, while those seriously injured but stable, along with patients with minor injuries were transported using responder units and the Agevaru ambulance.
“Due to the scale of the incident, we issued a public advisory notice of possible delays in emergency response across NCD and Central Province, as multiple units and specialist personnel were engaged in managing the mass casualty response,” he said.
Mr Torea urged all road users to drive responsibly, emphasising that road accidents could result in serious and life-threatening injuries.
The response, initiated at 12:38pm, was officially closed at 10:17pm, after nearly 10 hours, when the last critical patient was transferred from the ambulance stretcher to a hospital bed at PMGH.
The hospital said all victims who were critically injured received treatment and were recovering.
National St John Ambulance acknowledged the Central Provincial Health Authority (PHA) – Agevairu Health Center, NCD Provincial Health Authority and PMGH for their effective coordination in ensuring patients received urgent and appropriate care.
NStJA also commended community members at the scene of crash and at Doa for their support and assistance to the response teams.