The Ministry of Health will incorporate, as of Monday, July 31, a second medicalized ambulance to the fleet of resources of the Canary Emergency Service (SUC) in Lanzarote. The new advanced life support unit will be located in the Playa Blanca Health Center, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and will be presented this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. with a traffic accident simulation.
The Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Manuel Baltar, who is visiting the island and will attend the presentation of the ambulance, believes that "this new service represents a great advance for the assistance of the south of the Island, which responds to a demand from the population of the Lanzarote Health Area." In addition, the Minister met this Wednesday morning at the Molina Orosa hospital with the director of the Lanzarote Health Area, Erasmo Manuel García, and with the manager of Health Services, Raúl Otín Llop, to learn firsthand about the health situation on the island.
Lanzarote has another medicalized ambulance, based at the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital, in Arrecife. With this new ambulance, there are seven SUC resources in Lanzarote (two medicalized and five basic life support), in addition to the one located on the island of Graciosa. The incorporation of this ambulance, according to the Ministry of Health, "will considerably reduce the care ratios in the southern area of the island, while guaranteeing better care for critical patients by a qualified team in advanced life support."
These ambulances have a doctor, a nurse and a TES
Advanced or medicalized life support ambulances are urgent health care and transport vehicles that provide care to patients of any age in a serious or critical condition through qualified health care. The staff of these ambulances is made up of a doctor, a nurse and a Emergency Health Technician (TES) with driver functions.
Regarding its equipment, it has materials for the care of serious trauma and electromedicine equipment, such as a monitor-defibrillator to care for those patients who suffer a cardiorespiratory arrest and/or a cardiac pathology; perfusion pumps to administer certain medications gradually; and a respirator to provide assisted ventilation to patients with respiratory failure.
The SUC's advanced life support ambulance also has an oxygen therapy system, various pre-hospital care materials, as well as supplies and medication necessary to guarantee advanced care similar to that of any hospital intensive care unit.
The SUC attended 2,264 incidents in Yaiza during 2016
During 2016, the SUC attended to 16,865 people in Lanzarote who were in an urgent and/or emergency situation in the different municipalities of the Island, which represents an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. Thus, the SUC has responded to 16,945 incidents on this Island, 20% related to accidents, while 80% were registered as illness.
Regarding the municipality of Yaiza, the SUC attended 2,264 incidents last year. This represents 13.36% of the total services performed in Lanzarote.
Of the total incidents on the island, half were emergencies - situations in which the lives of those affected are in danger - which also represents an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is precisely in this type of service where, in addition to basic life support ambulances, the intervention of medicalized ambulances with personnel and advanced life support equipment capable of stabilizing critical patients is required. The other half were health emergencies, that is, requests for help with different levels of severity that can be prioritized.
