A woman who was injured in a road accident in Labasa on Monday has expressed her dissatisfaction with the medical treatment she received.
Aruna Devi, 55, was traveling with her granddaughter on a bus owned by a shipping company when it collided with a sugarcane truck in Seaqaqa, Macuata. She is one of five passengers who sustained injuries in the incident and feels that they should have been given priority for urgent medical care to address their injuries.
Devi reported that the nurse at the Seaqaqa Health Centre instructed all injured individuals to wait for a doctor before receiving treatment. She recounted her painful experience, stating, “I was in severe pain along with the other passengers and had to wait at the health centre with blood dripping from my mouth for at least an hour.”
Following the initial assessment, she was transferred to Nasea Health Centre, where a nurse informed her that she would need to take a ticket and wait in line as part of the procedure.
Devi argued that common sense should have led the nurses to take them directly to the emergency department for urgent care. Given the delay, she chose to hire a taxi and went to the Labasa Divisional Hospital to have her injuries treated.
Attempts to reach the Divisional Medical Officer Northern, Dr. Tiko Saumalua, for a response on this issue were unsuccessful.
In terms of the accident itself, Devi, a regular ferry traveler, stated that this was her first such incident and she has no complaints about the ferry company or its driver, as she believes the driver was not at fault.
Following the accident, the Coqeloa Labasa resident arranged a flight to Suva, saying, “I am still shivering from the accident and will not be traveling by ferry anytime soon; I will prefer flights.”
The Divisional Police Commander North, Senior Superintendent of Police Kemueli Baledrokadroka, confirmed that a report of the accident had been received on Monday.