Lesvos Island medical staff to receive emergency equipment from Ambulance Victoria
April 18, 2016in Community News
A request from emergency nurse Helen Zahos for medical supplies to help volunteers treat Syrian refugees has been gladly met by Ambulance Victoria.
Ambulance Victoria’s Acting Operational Equipment Support Manager Scott Dart and MICA paramedic Michael Holmes recently handed them over to Helen, so that they could be shipped to Lesvos Island, Greece.
Ambulance Victoria has donated response bags including medical consumables, airway management equipment and five automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Scott said it was a good result that items which were being replaced by new updated equipment in Ambulance Victoria’s operational fleet were being put to good use.
“When I was made aware, by Michael, of Helen’s request for medical supplies to assist on Lesvos Island, I was happy to be able to offer the items for donation,” Scott said.
Last year, Helen spent six weeks on Lesvos Island and six weeks on the border of Yugoslavia and Greece, following a large-scale call to action for volunteer medical staff.
“I saw the images of the refugees arriving on Lesvos Island and apart from being Greek, given that I am medically trained, I really wanted to go over to help,” she said.
Helen, alongside other medical personnel, treated several Syrian refugees for a various medical issues.
However, she noticed that despite the area being inundated with volunteers like herself, they did not have enough emergency equipment they could use.
“This is what sparked my cry for help for medical supplies and prompted me to contact Ambulance Victoria’s Acting CEO Tony Walker,” Helen said.
The items have been sent over to the volunteers in Greece, to assist them with the relief effort.