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Ambulance bound for Vanuatu
Imagine that when you called for ambulance the only vehicle that came to your rescue was 4WD with a wooden stretcher, no oxygen, no monitors, no defibrillator and limited supplies. Well this has been the normal situation for the local population in Vanuatu up until very recently.
When members from The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles, the humanitarian service arm of the Sri Chinmoy Centre, visited Vanuatu in late to 2004, it was clear that the improvements to the emergency services the Vila Central Hospital were required.
With the signing of an MOU with the Vanuatu Government and the generous support of Rural Ambulance Victoria the second of two ambulances will soon be plying the streets of Port Vila.
The squad of two ambulances will provide Vanuatu’s first public ambulance service. The ambulances will have two main roles, firstly providing an appropriate emergency response for the Vanuatu people. Secondly, the ambulances will travel to rural communities outside of Port Vila as a mobile blood bank, to relish the desperately low stocks of blood at the Vila Central Hospital, the nation’s largest hospital. The first ambulance has been in active duty in Port Vila since late 2005 and has been eagerly awaiting the support of the second vehicle to fully complement the service. There to see the second ambulance on it's journey was Ann Winter a long time resident of Port Vila, who was delighted to see such a fine vehicle bound for her countrymen.
Also present were representatives from Rural Ambulance Victoria, The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles and some furry friends to help the ambulance on it's way. The sea container with the second ambulance and a host of medical supplies, building materials, school supplies, toys, and computers arrived in Port Vila last week, putting a smile on everyone's dial.
