The Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund have agreed to strengthen emergency medical responses for road crash victims.
The agreement cements a strategic alliance between the two entities, ensuring that accident victims receive timely and essential trauma care across the country.
The MVA Fund Chief Executive Officer, Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, emphasised that public-private co-existence is vital to bolstering national healthcare systems.
She noted that public hospitals must be equipped with the necessary skills and infrastructure to handle emergencies.
“Treating our people requires both parties to come to the table. We need to create an environment where the public facility is able to provide the much-needed treatment, equipment, and skills. The MVA Fund is an extension of government, and it is on that basis that we started this partnership.”
Dr Martins-Hausiku reaffirmed the Fund's commitment to investing directly in public health infrastructure, emphasising that swift medical intervention minimises fatalities during the critical post-crash window.
Health and Social Service Minister Esperance Luvindao stressed that signing the MoU is only the beginning, challenging both teams to immediately translate the document into measurable fieldwork.
“This MOU establishes a framework for action. It brings together the MVA Fund's resources with the ministry's operational expertise, healthcare professionals, ambulance services, and infrastructure. It provides for cooperation in trauma facilities, medical response, and the transport of injured patients.”
Dr Luvindao stated that regional emergency systems must be decentralised so that communities do not suffer prolonged delays during life-threatening crises.
"In this day and age, we should not have to transport patients involved in an accident in another region while the CEO and I are on a call until who knows what time, tracking them. We need to move past those things. That means equipping facilities in the regions with what they need."
The minister said that joint partnerships are the only effective pathway to bypass bureaucratic delays and deliver efficient, lifesaving medical services nationwide.