Price demands answers after injured St George’s College goalkeeper’s ambulance ordered back

KINGSTON, Jamaica — St George’s College head coach Andrew Price has demanded an urgent investigation after an ambulance transporting injured goalkeeper Gian Singh to hospital was reportedly ordered to return to the venue during their 0-3 defeat to Kingston College in the Manning Cup last week. Price described himself as “flabbergasted” by the incident, which he said put the youngster at risk and has prompted him to seek answers from the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and the individuals responsible for overseeing the match. The goalkeeper suffered a broken clavicle, or collarbone, during the match and was initially being transported by the Sure Time ambulance to the University Hospital of the West Indies when the vehicle was reportedly instructed to turn back along Mona Road because an ambulance was required to remain at the venue. With the ambulance no longer available to continue transporting the injured player, a past student of St George’s College had to take him to Andrews Memorial Hospital, where he received treatment. “I am flabbergasted at the whole situation, and I have asked both ISSA and individuals in charge of the game to make an inquiry as to what would give an individual the decision to ask an ambulance taking a patient to University Hospital to turn back on Mona Road to come back to the venue,” Price said. “I cannot fathom who would make a decision like that, but I would really like to know," Price said, adding that he had yet to receive a response from ISSA and was particularly concerned about who authorised the ambulance's return and why the instruction was given. According to Price, when he questioned the ambulance attendants about what had happened, he was told that their boss had instructed them to return to the venue. However, Price said he was still trying to establish who had given the ambulance provider the instruction and the reasons behind the decision. “So I am still trying to ascertain who gave the boss the instruction and why was the instruction given, because that definitely put the youngster at risk and I need answers. The school needs answers, his parents need answers. Situations like this just cannot happen.” The St George’s coach insisted that the health and well-being of student-athletes must take precedence in situations involving medical emergencies, particularly when young players sustain injuries serious enough to require hospital treatment. “We have to look at the importance of the health and well-being of our student-athletes, and there's no way something like this can happen again in the future,” he said. Price also called for ISSA to establish a clear set of emergency procedures governing the handling of serious injuries at schoolboy sporting events, including situations in which an ambulance must leave a venue to transport an injured participant. “We have to take medical emergencies a lot more seriously, and especially when it's with youngsters. The situation could have been dealt with in a more serious manner and I really need to get answers,” he said. “It's important that we take learnings from this and have a blueprint of how to deal with injuries of this nature when they take place at schoolboy events.” Price argued that the issue should not be confined to football, calling for a standard emergency response procedure across all ISSA-sanctioned sporting competitions. “As a matter of fact, they need to have a procedure where you deal with situations of this nature for all ISSA-related sports events. There has to be some procedure of how you deal with these injuries, especially when it involves an emergency with an ambulance,” he said. While acknowledging the need for emergency medical coverage at sporting venues, Price maintained that protocols must also ensure injured players can be transported for treatment without unnecessary interruption. He said he was awaiting ISSA's response to his inquiry, stressing that the aim was to prevent another student from experiencing a similar situation. The incident has raised serious questions about the emergency medical arrangements at schoolboy football matches, including who has the authority to direct an ambulance to return to a venue while transporting an injured player and what alternative arrangements should be made in such circumstances. "ISSA's response, as well as clarification from the ambulance provider, will be important in establishing the circumstances surrounding the decision," he said.