BY CLEMIA NEELY
Journal Staff Writer

The Royal Bahamas Police Force, along with the Department of Public Health and
Public Hospitals Authority launched its first phase of specialized training for
volunteer officers to operate a new fleet of ambulances destined for the Family
Islands. The initiative’s purpose is to enhance emergency response capabilities on
our Family Islands. Dr. Aubynette Rolle, Director at the Public Hospitals
Authority, expressed the importance of offering urgent care to anyone who is in
need.
“The intent is that whenever there is an emergency, until there is a trained EMT,
those volunteers who are trained now – and they will speak about the training –
will be able to move through the community in the ambulance which will now
allow the nurse and the physician to be in the back of the ambulance to take care of
the patient, so that the patient is being stabilized all the way until they reach the
clinic, and should they need referral, then that referral will happen and the patient
will be stabilized.” Dr. Rolle stated.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Michael Darville, said thes program is
absolutely essential, and will be the lifeline for essential survival for individuals in
the Family Islands who find themselves in need of emergency medical services.
“One of the greatest challenges we have is to find emergency medical technicians
who will be responsible and who will be able to provide these essential services
throughout the archipelago.” Dr. Darville said. “With the partnership with the
Royal Bahamas Police Force, we find ourselves in a position where we can
activate the first phase of our program very quickly by utilizing the expertise along
with the training that will be provided by our EMT services, and to be able to
provide these services from Bimini all the way to Inagua in the short term.”
Shanta Knowles, Commissioner of Police, explained the process of selecting police
officers from the Family Islands to operate these emergency medical service
vehicles.
She said, “and so, we chose officers from all of the islands who are residents on the
island to be a part of this training process today. And I’m pleased to partner with
the Ministry of Health to have these officers trained in the operation of the new
ambulances. You will find that there are officers who will be a part of this training from Eleuthera, Cat Island is in the house already, Abaco, Andros, and all the other
islands, especially the islands in the southern part of the Bahamas who will be a
part of this training.”
Authorities say this initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening
emergency services, and ensures that no one in The Bahamas, including the Family
Islands, is left without access to critical medical care.