The Dominica Fire and Ambulance Services will be better equipped to handle emergencies after receiving a new ambulance amounting to approximately $400,000.
The Minister for National Security, Rayburn Blackmoore, made the disclosure during a press conference on Friday.
“During the last budget presentation, we have made provisions for the procurement of a new ambulance that is fully customized,” he said. “ I want to report to the public that the ambulance has arrived. It’s on the port…”
According to him, this ambulance will be stationed in Roseau, bringing the total number of service vehicles to six.
“We have seven health districts. But all the health districts are being serviced…,” Blackmoore revealed.
He said, however, by early September the country will be equipped with an additional fully functional ambulance, bringing the total to seven, “which means every district in the next couple of weeks, two weeks, will be equipped with an ambulance.”
He continued, “we’re working on two more because the intention is to have a minimum of two ambulances in Roseau and the other big districts like Marigot and Portsmouth to have two each.”
Blackmoore mentioned that before and just after the COVID-19 pandemic, there were two ambulances in each of the larger districts.
Meanwhile, he said the fire truck, which the government purchased for $1.5 million, is currently being manufactured from scratch, “so we are on target for that and we have an immediate plan for three additional fire trucks which we expect to get before the end of this year, hopefully, later in month of September to have…at least in Roseau.”
“But as we speak, in Roseau, one of the trucks had an engine issue [and] we have been able to procure a new engine for this fire truck which has been installed, and they’re [adding] the final touch-up so that we can get to two in Roseau. But the intention is to have three fire trucks in Roseau, because we have to cover Canefield and other areas.”
He added, “So we are getting places and we have a plan. Your government has a plan to deal with the issue of fire and ambulance in this country,” he stated.
Not even 1 ambulance per district in Dominica? ONE ambulance and ONE firetruck for Roseau? God forbid an emergency situation arises at the new airport or cruise port… So what happens when am ambulance breaks down? There is not a replacement available until one can be shipped to Dominica? We don’t keep an ambulance or fire truck in reserve? ZERO redundancy?
A Labour government in power for twenty five(25) consecutive years boasting about the procurement of one ambulance. Really?
This admin, with the $billions it had at its disposal, should have had free universal health insurance for every Dominican; the most advanced health facilities and services in the region; some of the best trained health personnel. These are things to crow about.
This lame duck regime majors in minors and minors in majors. Because too many Dominicans and the local media outlets ar
engage in surface thinking, the galloping dictatorial regime get away with its underwhelming performance.
Big stupes when these empty vessels open their mouth to make noise. These guys sounding like they are in their second year of their first year in office. partner you guys have been in office for 25 long years and nothing to show as a sign that wr making progress. All I can see is a failed state, where ministers have become rich overnight with money they can’t account for. A once God fearing nation, where we have more funerals of young people than jobs created for them and a nation where politicians are busier making blood sacrifice than they are sacrificing a dollar from their salaries so a young person can earn a pay cheque. These empty vessels have nothing meaningful to offer. People are just frustrated and things getting worse by the minuites