Khan promises "harsh action" after ambulance personnel refuse to help woman and dying child

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Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan is "disgusted" about what he described as "inhumane behaviour" of emergency medical personnel who refused to help a mother and her 21-month-old baby, citing corporate policy.

In a media statement, the minister promised "harsh decisions".

He was reacting to a report that Stacy Simon tried without success to get the technicians to take her and her dying baby to the San Fernando General Hospital. Baby Akeel Simon, who had Down's Syndrome, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

According to reports on the matter Simon's child, who had three holes in his heart and an enlarged liver, contracted high fever last Friday, the day of her scheduled clinic visit at the hospital.

The car in which the Erin woman and her child were travelling broke down and she managed to get another vehicle that became stuck in heavy traffic. She saw an ambulance approaching and asked for help to get her and the child to the hospital.

However the woman said two persons in the ambulance told her it was against policy to help persons like her on the road.

An angry Khan told the Express newspaper: "What foolish policy are they talking about? It is obvious that no human feelings existed in these EMT's. An ambulance is an ambulance, they are supposed to help," he declared.

Dr Anil Gosine, chief executive officer of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), agreed with the minister. 

However he stated there is an unwritten policy that restricts what the ambulance personnel can do. he said RHA ambulances could only transport patients from one medical facility to another since they are not equipped to treat emergency cases or provide medical treatment on the side of the road.

"Whenever we have to transport someone, then we equip the ambulance. In this case with the mother and her child it could be that the ambulance did not have a medical person on board and did not have the equipment to deal with the case," he said. 

"And if something happens to someone during transport it opens us to litigation. But if we need to now handle those situations then there needs to be a policy change," he said.

Media reports on another incident suggest negligence on the part of ambulance personnel.

The reports, which the Express said were corroborated by people at the San fernando General Hospital, stated that when former Prime Minister Patrick Manning suffered a stroke one week ago it was a Fire Service ambulance that took him to the hospital because the driver of the Emergency Health Service (EHS) ambulance belonging to the Global Medical Response of Trinidad and Tobago (GMRTT) could not find Manning's residence at Sumadh Gardens, Vistabella.

The paper said officers from the Mon Repos Fire Station confirmed that an ambulance arrived at Manning's residence at approximately 9.10 p.m. on Monday, and took him to hospital.