RESPONDING to a story published in the Sunday Observer this weekend, the Ministry of Health is denying that the ambulance service is in a shambles and says that it has began the procurement process to purchase 25 ambulances for the public health sector.

The procurement will increase the current number of ambulances in service, in addition to replacing the 14 that have been written off.

Five repaired Mercedes Benz ambulances have been collected by the Western, Northeast, South East and Southern Regional health authorities over the past week, said the ministry in a statement today. The ministry chided the Northeast Region for not collecting its unit, which it said was ready since early September.

The Ministry has over the years sought to enhance its fleet of ambulances and in fact made a significant purchase of 40 ambulances for over US$1.46 million with a three year service contract valued at US$521,000. These ambulances were purchased under the Cricket World Cup Project, said health minister Rudyard Spencer.

Between January to May 2010, 4577 emergency calls were received and 4340 emergency responses made.

The total number of patients that required transfers between health institutions during the period was 11920. In this regard, the number of transfers done by ambulances was 11,344 with a ratio of one patient per transfer.

"What this data has shown is that despite the challenges faced with the inadequacy of the fleet, the public health sector has been able to respond reasonably well to the demands of the public. In fact, our response rate is over 95 per cent. While we strive for a perfect score, the figure does not indicate as is being posited by an article in the media that the ambulance service 'is in shambles," said the ministry, responding

The ministry added that it would continue to ensure vehicles currently in the repair shop will return to service as quickly as possible. It is also exploring other options including public/private arrangements.