by Zaya Williams

The year 2023 witnessed a significant uptick in the need for emergency services.

Between January 1 to December 17, 2023, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) promptly attended 15,629 calls, marking a noteworthy 9% increase compared to the previous year.

Shawn Greenidge, the head of EMS, unveiled these statistics during a recent discussion with Observer Media.

According to Greenidge, data from 2021 indicated 13,200 calls, while 2020 logged 12,834 calls, underscoring a consistent rise in emergency incidents.

Hypertension emergencies took the lead with 1,324 calls. Other prevalent health crises included 780 calls for abdominal pain, 549 for respiratory distress, 510 for chest pain, 487 for hyperglycemia, and 444 for motor vehicle accidents.

In addition, a total of 7,786 calls were dedicated to incidents encompassing fire emergencies, suicide attempts, dehydration, and psychiatric episodes.

On another note, 108 individuals were discovered deceased upon EMS arrival, a decrease from the 118 recorded in 2022.

Greenidge also highlighted a modest number of prank calls and expressed concern over a rising trend of individuals exploiting the ambulance service to bypass hospital queues.