A woman who sustained injuries in a road accident in Labasa on Monday is voicing her dissatisfaction with the medical care she received.
Aruna Devi, 55, was traveling with her granddaughter in a shipping company bus that collided with a sugarcane truck in Seaqaqa, Macuata. She alleges that the medical response following the crash was insufficient. Ms. Devi, a mother of four, was one of five passengers injured and believes they should have received priority for emergency treatment to manage their injuries, including bleeding and intense pain.
“The nurse at the Seaqaqa Health Centre instructed 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 we had to wait at the health centre with blood dripping from my mouth for at least an hour,” she added.
Eventually, she was transferred to the Nasea Health Centre. “At Nasea, the nurse told me to get a ticket and wait in line for my turn, as that is part of the procedure,” she explained. Ms. Devi expressed that common sense should have guided the nurses to take them directly into the emergency department for immediate care.
Frustrated by the delays at the centre, she opted to hire a taxi and went to Labasa Divisional Hospital for timely treatment of her injuries, including cleaning and stitching the cuts on her mouth.
Attempts to reach Divisional Medical Officer Northern, Dr. Tiko Saumalua, for comments were unsuccessful.
In regard to the shipping company, Ms. Devi, who frequently travels by ferry, noted that this was her first accident. She has no complaints against the shipping company or its driver, believing that the driver was not to blame.
Following the accident, the Coqeloa Labasa resident made arrangements for a flight to Suva. “I am still shaken from the experience and will avoid ferry travel for the time being, opting for flights instead,” she shared.
Divisional Police Commander North, Senior Superintendent of Police Kemueli Baledrokadroka, confirmed that an accident report was received on Monday.