A woman injured in a road accident in Labasa on Monday is expressing concerns over the medical treatment she received. Aruna Devi, 55, who was traveling with her granddaughter in a shipping company bus that collided with a sugarcane truck in Seaqaqa, Macuata, believes the medical response was insufficient.
Devi, a mother of four, was among five passengers who suffered injuries in the incident. She feels that she and the other injured individuals should have received priority for emergency care to address severe bleeding and pain. “The nurse at the Seaqaqa Health Centre told us to wait for the doctor to arrive before we could be examined,” she stated.
“I was in excruciating pain, along with the other passengers, and had to endure a wait at the health facility with blood dripping from my mouth for at least an hour,” she asserted. Eventually, she was transferred to the Nasea Health Centre for further treatment.
“At Nasea, the nurse instructed me to get a ticket and wait in line for my examination as part of the procedure,” she added. Devi believes that common sense should have led the nurses to take them directly into the emergency room for immediate care.
Realizing the delay at the health centre, she opted to hire a taxi and sought admission at the Labasa Divisional Hospital, where she received treatment to clean and stitch her mouth from the injuries sustained. Efforts to reach Divisional Medical Officer Northern, Dr. Tiko Saumalua, for comment were unsuccessful.
Devi clarified that she had no issues with the shipping company or its driver, asserting that the accident was not the driver’s fault. As a regular ferry traveller, she noted that this was her first accident involving public transport. Following the incident, she booked a flight to Suva to travel, stating, “I am still shivering from the accident and will not be traveling by ferry anytime soon; I will prefer flights.”
Divisional Police Commander (DPC) North, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kemueli Baledrokadroka, confirmed that a report of the accident had been received on Monday.