THE St John Ambulance in Papua New Guinea joined the rest of the world in celebrating the first International Paramedics Day last Friday.
According to the College of Paramedics in the United Kingdom, July 8 was the anniversary of the birth of Dominique-Jean Larrey, the man often referred to as the father of the modern-day ambulance service.
The day has been created, organised and run by the College of Paramedics with support from professional paramedic organisations around the world.
St John Ambulance chief executive officer (CEO) Matt Cannon said the day celebrated the work taken by paramedics and first responders around the world.
“We are uniting on a global scale for one purpose; to recognise and celebrate the work being done by paramedics and first responders,” he said.
“And to ensure that their patients receive the very best treatment and care possible as well as improving outcomes for all people everywhere.
He said the day was an opportunity to highlight the breadth of paramedics and first responder practice in the country serving humanity, helping to save lives and improving healthcare for people in the communities across PNG.
According to a statement released by the Health Department, every paramedic should be proud of the role that they played in the communities, especially in a country like Papua New Guinea which had numerous challenges in health service delivery.
“The Department of Health (DoH) recognises the role of the St John Ambulance in saving lives in the communities from Port Moresby, Lae, Kokopo, Central and Chimbu.”
St John Ambulance has around 300 staff working to save lives and improve health through pre-hospital care and health education.
St John is also celebrating its 65th year as a Papua New Guinean organisation and significantly nearly 40 years of providing emergency ambulance services on behalf of the DoH.
“The Department of Health is pleased with the professional training and up-skilling of ambulance officers and nurses delivered by St John at the Academy in Port Moresby.”