Emergency services

The nature of emergencies varied widely covering incidents such as snakebites, respiratory problems, obstetrics/maternal complications, childbirth, trauma, and more.

Of particular concern was the noteworthy increase in violence and trauma-related emergencies, constituting 24 out of the 52 emergencies in the early hours of the New Year.

A breakdown of these violence and trauma-related emergencies revealed that 16 incidents occurred in the National Capital District, 3 in Central, and 4 in Momase.

This accumulates to a staggering 28,000 false calls in a week, obstructing genuine emergency calls from reaching the vital helpline.

The ramifications of these false alarms are not only wasting valuable resources but also putting lives at risk. Ambulance crews are frequently dispatched to fabricated emergencies, only to discover that the callers have misled authorities, diverting crucial attention away from authentic emergencies.

Lae MP and Deputy Prime Minister, John Rosso, emphasised on the importance of the emergency medical response service provided to Lae residents.

This is why since the signing of a three-way agreement between SJA, the Lae City Authority and Morobe Provincial Health Authority in December 2020, LCA has been supporting the ambulance service with K500,000 every year.

“Because of this partnership, the Lae City Authority, every year, supports St John with half-a-million-Kina to partner with St John to ensure that we provide this vital service to the citizens of Lae,” said Rosso.