April 2008

Paramedics show intensive care

Intensive care paramedics from the Metropolitan Ambulance Service are used to saving lives.

The 246 intensive care paramedics at 16 Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) units across Melbourne have undergone extra training to give them the highest level of skills for paramedics.

But aside from their usual treatment of patients suffering from road trauma, cardiac arrests and other life-threatening medical problems, they also save lives through blood donations.

Seven intensive care paramedics donated blood at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service donor centre at Southbank in the lead up to the Labour Day and Easter holidays.  

It only takes around an hour to donate and blood products from each donation save up to three lives—so their gesture helped 21 people in need of blood products.

Intensive care paramedic Craig Hazelwood said being on the front line of road trauma, the intensive paramedics also understood the importance of donating blood.

‘Our life-saving skills are often the difference for a critically-ill person,’ he said.

‘Providing treatment to those critically ill is vital to ensuring they have the best chance of survival and improving their recovery rate.

‘Just as important in the case of trauma patients is the need for blood products.

‘The blood bank is always in need of more donors, especially heading into holiday periods.

‘We are more than happy to donate our time and our blood to help.’