18 in Trinidad, 2 in Tobago

ONLY 18 of the 35 EHS ambulances in Trinidad are roadworthy, and out of the five in Tobago, only two are operational.

However, Govern-ment will soon acquire 40 ambulances at a cost of not more than $18.5 million, a part of an agreement with the United Nations Devel-opment Programme (UNDP). So stated Health Minister John Rahael on Tuesday in the Senate. He was responding to a question from Opposition Leader in the Upper House, Wade Mark, on the state of the EHS ambulances.

Rahael said 16 of the non-operational ambulances in Trinidad were under repair and one was the subject of an accident claim. The three ambulances in Tobago which are out of service are being repaired. He also stated that an agreement was signed last week with the UNDP for the provision of 40 right-hand Mercedes Benz ambulances. Seven of the ambulances are expected to arrive in TT next month with the others to follow on a monthly basis. Included in the agreement is the provision for their maintenance by Sterling Services Ltd.

Asked if he knew what was the response time of the ambulances, Rahael said he didn’t know but most likely it would depend on location, that is where the ambulances were in comparison to where they are dispatched.