Four ambulances have been procured by the Tobago Regional Health Authority at a cost of $1,448,100 per unit, however, only three have been added to the fleet.
THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith Brebnor made the announcement at the commissioning of the ambulances on March 28 at the division in Scarborough.
Brebnor said, “Four ambulances came. Four ambulances landed at the (Scarborough) port, and then I got a call from the chair (Tobago Health Advisory Committee) and I think she (Christlyn Moore) said, 'Secretary, you sitting down?' I said, I don’t know, should I be sitting down? She said, 'Yes, something fell on one of the ambulances.'
"And I am thinking, what you mean by something fell on one of the ambulances? So we had to do a whole thing, which is why we are here commissioning three and not four, but I have been given the assurance that the fourth will be here within the next couple weeks and that it will be put straight to work.”
TRHA CEO Dr Delmon Baker noted that the commissioning of these three additional vehicles was not just about adding to the fleet, but about ensuring Tobagonians have quick and efficient access too critical services at the hospitals.
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“In healthcare every second counts. This investment in quality healthcare delivery improves our ability to quickly respond to calls from residents in need, provides for rapid communication between the on-site caregivers and the hospital, and provides this in a timely and professional manner.”
He said the (Tobago Regional Health) Authority guided by the mandates of the Tobago House of Assembly and the firm directives of Brebnor, Assistant Secretary Megan Morrison and the Tobago Health Advisory Committee has the responsibility of ensuring prompt and reliable services across Tobago, utilising the skills and dedication of the emergency medical technicians.
“The total investment in the upgrade of this service is in the tune of just over $1.4 million per unit with an estimated end (of) fiscal 2025 – this is this September – for the delivery of an additional five units from our suppliers, Bio Medical Enterprises. So you can keep us at the TRHA and at the division to that commitment.”
The work of the TRHA corporate services, operations, legal services and TEMS (Tobago Emergency Medical Services), he said, produced a detailed and modern specification requirement list that achieved the delivery of state-of-the-art, two-patient ready, emergency-ready units.
Moore said it was good to reach the commissioning stage and looks forward to the additional vehicles.
“We are very grateful to be here. The Tobago population ought to be more confident in the service, our ability to deliver service on time, ahead of time. We hope that you will continue to repose your trust in the TRHA under the leadership of Dr Brebnor and we look forward to the other deliverables that will come during the year. Dr Brebnor has set us quite a high bar, the fruits of those endeavours are only now being seen but the roll out after this would be swift.”
