The last of the four New Zealand government funded fully equipped ambulance’s was commissioned at the PJ Twomey Hospital in Tamavua, Suva today.[Supplied Pic]

The last of the four New Zealand government funded fully equipped ambulance’s was commissioned at the PJ Twomey Hospital in Tamavua, Suva.

The ambulances are for the Ministry of Health’s Pre Hospital Emergency Care Coordination Centre team to support their COVID-19 operations.

NZ High Commissioner, Jonathan Curr says the ambulances will boost the capacity of first response teams to carry out emergency retrievals & transfers, as well as home assessments for high risk patients.

Curr says supporting Fijian first response teams in a highly practical way has helped ensure patients get faster access to critical medical care.

He is hopeful the additional vehicles will make a significant difference to Fiji’s COVID-19 response operations.

While the ambulances were being fitted out, the New Zealand High Commission also provided rental vehicles and communications equipment for immediate use by the first response team to help meet increased demand for their services.

Since starting operations in late June, the Coordination Centre team has undertaken more than 2,220 patient retrievals with the assistance of NZ funded vehicles.

Minister for Health, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete expressed his appreciation for the partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand.