Rodriguez calls for SOE on ambulances

by Nick Delgado

Guam - Following the death of a newborn infant Thursday, health committee chair Senator Dennis Rodriguez Jr. is urging governor Eddie Calvo to declare a state of emergency for the ambulance shortage issue.

As we reported, a 17 year old mother waited nearly two hours in Merizo for an ambulance to take her and her baby to the hospital. The initial call was made because the young mother complained of abdominal pain and ended up giving birth while waiting for medics to transport her to the hospital. A forestry unit was first to respond and provide assistance. The first ambulance available broke down in Agat, and the next available unit did not arrive until nearly a couple hours after the initial call was made. The baby boy was born premature and medics had to provide CPR enroute to the Naval hospital, but he died.

Rodriguez says the tragic death of an infant awaiting critical medical attention its unconscionable. He says the late arrival of an ambulance is not the fault of rescue personnel, but the problem is directly due to the governments inability to provide and maintain a reliable  ambulance service. He adds this outrageous situation must be resolved before more lives are lost.

While DOI funds are being used to purchase new units, Rodriguez urges the governor to exercise his Organic authority to expedite the procurement process to repair the existing fleet. GFD has about 3 to 4 ambulances daily on average operating for the entire island.
In the interim, Rodriguez also suggests the government enter into a memorandum of agreement with certified private ambulance businesses. GFD has said leasing private ambulance services is too costly.