Concerns raised after patient is transferred from Levuka to Suva at the back of a vehicle

A patient who sustained injuries from a car accident and also tested positive for COVID-19 was transported from Levuka to Suva at the back of a government vehicle on Wednesday and the Ministry of Health is taking steps to ensure that the issue is addressed immediately to avoid future recurrence.

The Health Ministry says the patient was brought into the Lomaiviti Sub-Divisional Hospital in Levuka.

They say consultations between the doctors established that there was a need to transfer the patient to CWM Hospital to look into the injuries sustained.

The Ministry says vital checks carried out indicated that the patient was stable enough to be transported via road and sea.

However they say a miscommunication resulted in the transfer of the patient at the back of the government vehicle because the hospital’s ambulance was not available at the time of the transfer.

The Ministry of Health further says they received 30 ambulances from the Chinese Government in 2018 which were distributed to various medical facilities around the country.

They say due to the rough terrain it serviced, the ambulance allocated to the Lomaiviti Sub-Divisional Hospital was in Suva at the time of the incident undergoing much needed repairs and maintenance works.

The Ministry is anticipating to receive ten new ambulances from a development partner organization in the coming week and this will further assist in addressing the ambulance needs for the Lomaiviti Sub-Divisional Hospital as well as other health facilities in the country.