The Chief Medical Officer (ag), Dr Sharra Greenaway-Duberry, on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), wishes to thank all those who responded to the incident that occurred at the John A. Osborne Airport on Monday (September 23, 2019) afternoon. It is a great relief that no injuries were reported as a result of the incident; which could have easily been more serious.
The Ministry is of the view that the emergency response was well coordinated. Efforts were made to ensure everyone involved had clear responsibilities, and that all 6 passengers and pilot received rapid and effective medical assessment and triage. All persons involved in the incident were medically assessed on site and discharged appropriately following the assessment.
Medical staff of the Ministry of Health and Social Services along with supporting resources from the Royal Montserrat Police Service, the Royal Montserrat Fire and Rescue Service, as well as personnel from the John A. Osborne Airport, were at the scene very quickly to provide
immediate help following the incident and remained on site for some time afterwards.
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) wishes to thank those who offered support throughout the event and into the evening. She said, hospital staff were ready to respond and many came forward to provide assistance and readiness without hesitation. "We can be very proud of Montserrat’s response in coming together efficiently and effectively to such an incident,” the CMO stated.
The CMO continues to work in close contact with relevant government colleagues, and indicated that, “The health team are writing-up a report following the incident outlining lessons learnt and how we can improve going forward”.
Permanent Secretary for Health and Social Services, Camille Thomas-Gerald added, “Everyone must be commended on their quick response. I wish to thank the Ministry of Health team of nurses and doctors, some whom were even off-duty, that came forward and stood ready to deal with the incident. We’re thankful and proud of you all.”
Just a few weeks prior, a simulation exercise of a similar event involving the John A. Osborne Airport was conducted. Therefore, response plans and protocols were fresh in everyone’s mind.
In this particular case, the MOHSS is pleased that there was a good outcome and that no one was injured, and that the whole team was prepared and united, putting into practice the plans and approaches that were rehearsed just weeks before.
