ISPC donates high-performing stretcher to health ministry |22 July 2017
ISPC Seychelles donated a high-performing patient stretcher to the Ministry of Health in a brief handover ceremony yesterday.
In attendance were the chief executive of ISPC Alfred Fourcroy and his staff, the Minister for Health Jean-Paul Adam and other officials from his ministry.
ISPC procured this stretcher from Spanish-based manufacturer Kartsana Medical which specialises in medical equipment and fittings for an estimated cost of R46,000.
The stretcher is different from the ones currently available on the ministry’s ambulances because it provides for easy and comfortable loading and unloading of patients with no manual lifting and lowering necessary.
Moreover, the Kartsana stretcher has four pivoting wheels intended to ease navigation through narrow corridors and positioning bedside hospital beds. Those present received a brief demonstration of how the stretcher operates.
“The stretcher is a trial sample from us and if the ministry deems the stretcher adequate they can purchase more,” Mr Fourcroy said.
Edward Azemia, the procurement officer from the ministry, explained that they usually encounter difficulties finding adequate and proper spare parts to fix the stretchers they currently have at hand.
“We wanted ISPC to help our ministry with this project because they are known for bringing in good quality European products. Additionally, ISPC will be able to provide the spare parts to this particular stretcher and we will not have to face these issues anymore,” he said.
The donation of the stretcher also came with a full revamping of an ambulance, where everything from its floor to its cabinets have been configured and standardised to suit Seychelles’ specification.
This is in line with the ministry’s efforts to standardise and recondition its ambulances to provide better quality service to patients.
At the moment ambulances are not standardised due to the fact that most ambulances and equipment are either donated or obtained from different sources.
“We plan to standardise all of our ambulances in the next 12 to 18 months,” Minister Adam informed Seychelles NATION.