Jamaica, September 19, 2017 – Kingston – Emergency medical technicians attached to the recently launched Portmore emergency medical service (EMS) say they are eager to begin serving the people of the area.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Corporal Laticka Thomas said now that she has completed her training, she is ready to offer assistance when needed.
“It was hard, very hard, but I was able to complete it. It was good, as it also taught us to work as a team and to appreciate persons in the medical field,” she said.
Corporal Thomas underscored that even though the tasks ahead will be strenuous at times, both she and her colleagues were looking forward to the workload. For his part, Acting Corporal Nelson Wilson said that he and his colleagues were “very proud to have completed the training, and now can’t wait to take on the tasks that lie ahead”. A function to launch the EMS at the Portmore Fire Station was held at the facility on Friday (September 15).
The emergency medical service site will respond to road crashes along some of the major highways that meet in this area.
The EMS will have the use of two ambulances that were acquired at a cost of $17.2 million through funding from the National Health Fund (NHF) and the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund. It will be staffed by members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, who received special training at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Faculty of Medicine.
Meanwhile, Acting Sergeant, Mikhail Clarke, underscored the value of the training received.
“The training was very compact but well worth it. Here in EMS it is so diverse that it allows you to do everything, even how to deliver babies. We offer a 24-hour service, and persons can always come by the fire station. We know it’s going to be rough, but we are prepared for it,” he told JIS News.
Six EMS technicians received their certificates of competence at the handover ceremony and will be based at the centre in Portmore.
Release:JIS
