-
Source: ONE News
Hundreds of thousands of dollars is to be spent on specialist gear for St John to transport obese people in the Waikato.
The announcement follows a number of callouts for the fire service to help lift morbidly obese patients.
This week Hamilton fire brigade was called to a Frankton address to help a St John staff member transfer a morbidly obese 20-year-old woman into an ambulance.
The Waikato Times also understands the Huntly Volunteer Fire Brigade was recently called to help ambulance staff carry an obese patient from a house.
Chief fire officer Craig Bush confirmed that four men had been needed to lift the patient.
About 90 minutes later on the same night Hamilton fire brigade was required to lift a patient from an ambulance at Waikato Hospital.
Waikato District fire commander Roy Breeze said a crew recently helped to transport a "large patient" in Ngaruawahia.
It was made difficult due to the patient being upstairs.
St John Hamilton team manager Ray Bestwick said the ambulance service was to receive extra funding for specialist equipment to assist staff with moving obese patients.
It would most likely be lifting and transfer equipment such as larger capacity stretchers, carry chairs and slide sheets.
Bestwick has been trying to get a dedicated bariatric ambulance for transporting oversized patients in Hamilton for years, but said it was unlikely due to the $150,000-plus price tag.
Auckland St John has a bariatric ambulance which, Bestwick said, is used "continuously".
Oversized patients in the Waikato have to be laid on a mattress on the floor of the ambulance.
He welcomed the funding boost, which will likely be rolled out later in the year, and said the new equipment would make the process safer for his staff and more dignified for patients.
"It's not a very dignified process sometimes."
He had attended a 230kg patient who was upstairs. The fire brigade was called and they had had to use rescue baskets, ropes and other equipment to slide the patient down the stairs.
Waikato Hospital bariatric surgeon Rowan French said the ambulance service had been left out from funding for bariatric care compared with the hospital, which opened its $48 million Acute Services Building in June last year.
The unit has hoists for lifting and turning patients, wider corridors and doorways and beds that can hold up to 370kg.
"We are unfortunately having to deal with a lot more of these people in hospital and, by inference, out-of-hospital services such as ambulances have to deal with them as well."
He said dealing with obese patients could be considered an occupational health and safety issue for ambulance staff and new equipment would make it safer.
Latest NZ News Video
-
Kiwi speaks to TVNZ7 from Everest base camp (1:59)
-
Immigration advisor Bill Milnes discusses claims (4:34)
-
Dance to save Shakti service (0:41)
