MOHW Minister Agrees with ComPol on Hospital Transportations

Kevin Bernard, the Minister of Health and Wellness, today weighed in on an issue that was recently raised by the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams. The commissioner is of the view that police officers should not transport individuals suffering from gunshot injuries to the hospital. The Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, says police officers should use their discretion. Well, Minister Bernard says ComPol Williams is right. He added that more needs to be done to increase the number of medical personnel available to respond to these incidents.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness

“From a medical perspective I am no medical doctor, I am no medical technician. When you look at it, the commissioner is right in his own way, in saying what he said. When you look at the responsibility of police officers they are no medical doctors, no EMT. What we are seeing in the country is that we have been able to train, through the fire department, we have been getting additional EMT persons being trained in the field, we are working in the private sector and the ministry to ensure we enhance EMT services to build the capacity. WE have to understand, if you are in the U.S for example, you wont see a police officer moving anybody. There is a response team that comes to the rescue. So in one way the commissioner is right. It is something we have been use to. Maybe the way he said it came out different, but the commissioner is right. Lot of people don’t realize, oh the police the deh and nuh want do anything. You cannot move a person that is injured. You could cause more harm.”