Tech Saves Lives: Faster Responses, Better Coordination with Ambulansia

In Timor-Leste, Ambulansia is shaking up emergency medical care. This innovative system leverages technology to enhance preparedness, response, and coordination, ensuring help arrives exactly when needed - saving lives, and boosting health outcomes.

Ambulansia's primary mission is to bolster emergency preparedness and response. At its core is a simple user-centric computer-aided dispatch system that allows healthcare providers to log calls, reports, and updates in real-time. This digital approach streamlines the entire process, enabling swift communication and coordination among emergency services.

Ambulansia was designed for simplicity and ease of use, featuring a clean interface, full Tetun translation, and resilience to internet failures. It allows local ambulance center staff to enter and track callout details, sharing critical information for frontline healthcare. The data is available in real-time and historically for administrators to analyze service patterns, incident types, and demographics. Developed in 2016 by Catalpa International with input from five Timorese software developers (four of whom now work at Catalpa), Ambulansia continues to enhance emergency response in Timor-Leste.

The impact of Ambulansia is far-reaching. Used by the National Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services (SNAEM), it has become an essential tool in managing emergencies. This national adoption highlights its effectiveness and the trust placed in it by healthcare professionals across Timor-Leste.

“The tracking system makes it easy for us to provide quick and clear services to people who contact the hotline,” explains Doctor Pascoela Mendonca, adding “the system also allows for monitoring and tracking of our performance.”

The collaboration behind Ambulansia is a testament to the power of partnerships. Spearheaded by the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health and with development funding from Australian Aid, it has since been fully handed over to SNAEM and the Ministry of Health, and its maintenance and support to users has been funded by the State Budget since 2022. This initiative underscores the importance of international cooperation and strong partnerships, which are crucial for creating effective, locally tailored solutions that enhance emergency responses and save lives, demonstrating the power of collaborative innovation in healthcare. By pooling resources and expertise, these partners supported by Catalpa have created a system that stands as a beacon of progress in emergency medical care.

Ambulansia's achievements are significant and tangible. By digitizing the tracking of emergency calls and updates, it enhances the management of ambulance cases. This ensures that the appropriate services are dispatched swiftly, significantly reducing response times and improving outcomes in critical situations. Real-time updates provided by Ambulansia allow healthcare workers to prepare adequately for incoming patients, ensuring they receive timely and appropriate care upon arrival.

The system's seamless coordination capabilities ensure that resources are allocated efficiently across the government health service.. This is crucial in emergency situations, where effective communication and swift action can save lives. With Ambulansia, healthcare providers can work in unison, guaranteeing that patients receive the right care at the right time.

“The system also records how long patients wait when they need ambulance assistance. From this we can know the time of response from the team to patients and monitor conditions such as traffic jams or bad weather, for example which would delay the request for an aircraft," explains Raimundo Pinheiro Magno (Head of Department of Ambulance Service and Head of Department of Information and Communication).

For Carmelita da Silva, who works on the frontline fielding hotline calls, the best part of the job is hearing from patients they have assisted. “We often receive follow-up calls where patients express their gratitude and thank us for our help.”

Ambulansia is more than just a dispatch system; it's a life-saving innovation. Its success and full adoption by the Government of Timor-Leste are rooted in its ability to address local needs efficiently. By focusing on practical, fit for purpose and user-friendly solutions, Ambulansia ensures timely emergency responses, ultimately saving lives and enhancing the overall healthcare system in Timor-Leste.