Thank A Paramedic Day 2017
August 29, 2017in Community News
This year’s Thank a Paramedic Day was a special occasion for Ambulance Victoria and the Jauhari family from Trentham East.
On 29 August 2017 twin boys Colbhi and Wilbur Jauhari were delivered by paramedics on the Calder Freeway. To make matters more challenging, Wilbur was extremely sick and was revived twice by MICA paramedics.
The twins are now healthy and celebrated their first birthday on Thank a Paramedic Day with the paramedics involved in their care after the family reached out to Ambulance Victoria.
Other patients and their families reunited with paramedics and first responders this Thank a Paramedic Day included Sale teenager Noah Cantwell, who sustained a serious head injury while playing basketball, and five-year-old Lily Webb-Johnson, who was seriously injured after being pinned between two cars in Balmoral.
Ambulance Victoria also received hundreds of messages of thanks from the community using the #ThanksAmbos hashtag on social channels.
Ambulance Victoria CEO Tony Walker said Thank a Paramedic Day gave the public an opportunity to share their stories and express their thanks for the care they had received this year.
“Days like today make me proud to be a paramedic and to lead an organisation so dedicated to patient care,” Associate Professor Walker said.
“Paramedics treat and transport people every day, usually in times of great need, but then move on to the next case, never knowing the outcome of the care that they have provided.
“Paramedics don’t seek or expect thanks, but messages from patients can mean the world to paramedics to know that their efforts are appreciated.
“Today it is also important to recognise our colleagues in patient transport and our valued first responders such as our Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, Ambulance Community Officers and Remote Area Nurses.”
Associate Professor Walker said transformational reforms were allowing paramedics to make the most of the world-class skills to deliver better outcomes for patients most in need.
“This is reflected in best ever survival cardiac arrest survival rates patients in the first two quarters of this year,” Associate Professor Walker said.
“We have also invested in the safety and health of paramedics – both mental and physical – so that our paramedics can enjoy long and meaningful careers caring for our communities.”