The St John Ambulance celebrated 40 years of operation in Papua New Guinea, based in Port Moresby for most of its years.
On Friday June 30, 2023, the ambulance service displayed in an Open Day, its internal support system, at the Taurama Aquatic Centre.
Through six stalls, volunteers and employees displayed their knowledge and skills in using sophisticated equipment to sustain life during an emergency.
In less than 10 years, SJA PNG has seen quite a transformation as a fully-fledged Emergency Response organisation under the leadership of CEO, Commissioner Matt Cannon.
It had increased its fleet of ambulances, upgraded its call centre and increased the number of trained paramedics and volunteers. It also extended its services Kokopo, Lae and sub-branches in Bereina and Kupiano in the Central Province.
At the Open Day, staff and volunteers explained to visitors the different procedures and equipment that are used for saving lives. Chief Paramedic Jacquie Hennessy explained how they save lives using the life stretcher.
“Our aeromedical team is made up of flight nurses, flight HEOs, specialist paramedics like myself and doctors and consultants. So our Chief MO Dr. Mandi Kendino runs our Medical Team specifically and so she’s an emergency consultant who helps to do our training so we do all our aeromedical training in house to an international standard,” said Hennessy.
Hennessy said they use the full range of their gear every week; about one a week for critical medical transfers to make sure patients get to the location where they get help, mostly to Port Moresby General Hospital, as the main referral centre.
It was unfortunate that the Open Day did not receive as many visitors as it would have liked. The information they shared is very critical including basic first aid and survival procedures in case of emergencies.