The Ministry of Health gave a new water ambulance to the Atauro Health Centre to transfer patients to the National Hospital Guido Valadares, but it isn’t working and is in a poor condition.
The Director for Dili District Health Services Agustinha da Costa said the Minister of Health Sergio Lobo handed the boat over to the Atauro Health Centre on July 30 and on August 2 they took it for a test run from Dili to Atauro.
“We arrived in Atauro after an hour and a half and then when we were returning we had a problem with the boat but we managed to get back to Dili and now it’s not working,” Director da Costa said in Kaikoli, Dili.
She said the water ambulance was very important for them because they found it difficult to transfer emergency patients to the National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV).
In regards to the issue she said she made a proposal to the ministry to ask the responsible company to maintain the boat because the boat had not been used but when they tried it, it broke immediately.
“I’m upset because we want enough to facilitate the community but in reality, it’s damaged again,” Director da Costa said.
She said until now they had a small boat to run a mobile clinic program and transfer emergency cases to HNGV, and this was still running.
Besides that, she said they also worked together with the Maritime Police Unit to help transfer emergency cases to HGNV when the smaller boat could not operate in rough swells.
The new water ambulance was purchased from the Indonesian company PT Samudra Perkasa for $400,000 through the 2012 budget.
Meanwhile, the National Director for Hospital Support Work Horacio Sarmento da Costa said it was the company’s responsibility to repair the boat because it was still within the three-month guarantee period.
“We have informed the company and they have identified a problem with the engine, and they are ready to repair it soon,” he said.
He also affirmed the ministry had a plan to buy another water ambulance to facilitate health facilities in Atauro and Oe-Cusse, so emergency patients could be transferred to HNGV.
