3.4.3. Medical help for the injured

Of all people injured, about 70 % obtained medical help and 30 % did not.

Why was medical help not obtained ?

It was clear that a variety of reasons, not least the severity of the injury itself, would influence whether or not medical aid was obtained. (Table 34). In particular, it was thought that people living in rural areas might have had difficulty in getting aid because of the disruption of transport caused by the hurricane.

Table 34: Reasons for Not Getting Medical Help According to Settlement Type

Note : Of the five in the "Other" category, two villagers said they lacked money to seek help and two from Roseau were, apparently, too shocked and confused.

11/15 of those who said that no medical help was available came from villages. Similarly, 10/11 of those who cited transport difficulties as a reason for not obtaining aid were from villages or smaller towns.

There was no differences between settlement types in the proportion of injuries that people felt they could manage to treat themselves. In each instance self-help was the preferred method of treatment for about 15 % of all injuries (37/256).

Of those who did not get medical help, the vast majority did not try to obtain it for the kind of reasons given above (Table 34). Ten people however, made active efforts to obtain aid but failed. rive were from villages, four from small towns and only one from Roseau.

Table 35: Place Where Medical Help was Obtained According to Medical Type

Three-quarters of those getting help who lived in villages and small towns were seen locally or at health centres. The numbers being treated in these ways were almost equal. Very few villagers went to hospital (Table 35). The same was true for the people living in the towns, except for those in or around Portsmouth, where there was a small hospital. In contrast, around 60 % of those injured in Roseau vent to hospital. It seems likely that Roseau's hospital was not only serving as the country's central hospital but also as a centre of primary health care for the population of the capital.

Medical care received according to age

There was no significant difference in the age distribution between those who did and those who did not obtain medical aid following injury. There was, however, a difference in the type of professional care received (Table 36).

Table 36: Care of Injured According to Age Groups

(SND, p < 0.01)

Treatment by a doctor was significantly more frequently given to the youngest or eldest age groups. Over three-quarters of the persons in the active age groups 20-39 and 40-59 were seen by nurses.

Table 37: Transport for the Injured According to Settlement Type

Seventy per cent of those who were injures and for whom we have information walked to get medical help (Table 37). This percentage was virtually the same for villagers, townsfolk and those from the capital. A quarter used motor transport. Only one member of the sample was air-lifted to hospital by an emergency medical rescue team.

It is interesting to note that over half of those seeking medical treatment for leg or foot injuries arrived at the medical facility on foot.

Table 38: Time Taken for the Injured to Get Medical Aid According to Settlement Type

Over 45 % of all persons obtaining medical help got it within five hours after injury (Table 38) Even for the villages the figure was over 40 % (compared with 50 % for Roseau) On the other hand, a quarter of villagers who got aid did so only after a delay of more than a week (See the cumulative figures below, Table 39)

Table 39: Time Taken to Get Medical Aid: Cumulative Percentages