PNG’s first reality TV show
Paramedics facing crash scenes, the miracle of birth and workers travelling hours into the jungle to help the injured. These are just some of the scenes audiences are seeing in PNG’s first-ever reality television show.
Green Angels follows St John Ambulance officers as they venture through the National Capital District and Central Province, often undertaking life-saving work.
The idea to tackle reality TV came about when St John Ambulance chief executive officer, Matthew Cannon, was exploring ways to change the public misconception in PNG of what an ambulance service does.
“It’s not just to transport people to hospitals,” he says. “Life-saving equipment
and skilled personnel are on board every ambulance, who can confidently provide pre-hospital medical care.”
Cannon thought taking people behind the scenes and into the ambulance was the best way to capture people’s attention. And he says it’s been paying off. “We often only hear about the negative stories surrounding health care in Papua New Guinea,” he says. “But there are incredible people in the Papua New Guinea health system – doctors, nurses and ambulance officers – doing amazing things everyday, continuing to save lives. This show was an opportunity to show just that.”
The program was inspired by a similar reality series aired in Australia.
St John’s deputy chairman, Ian Clough, says it highlights the positives of what’s happening on the ground. “We want people to understand and appreciate the need and importance for ambulance services in addressing key health challenges, particularly maternal and infant survival,” he says.
The show has also helped the families of ambulance officers understand the sacrifices they make every day. “The family member of one of our ambulance officers that saw her husband on the show was in tears through the episode with just how proud she was,” Cannon says. “She had no idea what he does and what he’s faced with every day when he puts on his uniform and goes to work.”
Green Angels airs on EMTV at 9.30pm on Saturdays until the end of May.