Despite a shortage of alcohol on the South coast during the festive season, the district doctor of Lalomanu hospital, Dr Moziah Maru said he was surprised with the type of cases he had to deal with during this period.

"Someone fell off the back of a truck and broke a limb. Someone dropped a knife on his finger and nearly lost it. Another person fell off a tree," he said.

Dr Maru said these were not the common types of cases he had dealt with at the hospital during the festive period.

"No, these are rare cases but it is funny how people are just accident prone around this time. I have been a doctor here for a year now, and these just happened around the festive season," he said. 

Two young adults, Sylvia and Simba, driving from Saletoga Resort and Spa after dinner on Sunday evening also came by a car that had just crashed into the corner of the landslide area at Tuialamu, between Saleapaga and Lalomanu village. 

"We saw two guys coming out of their black Hilux truck. They seemed intoxicated. They called us to help them, as they ran into the ditch just before the rocks," said Sylvia.

"We told them that we will go ask someone with a bigger car to pull them out of there," said Simba.

But when the two went back to help, the truck was being helped by other motorists. So they decided to leave without telling them.

"They were drunk. I just wanted a clear conscience, to go back because we promised to help them, but at least other people were there to help," she said. 

Dr Maru said on Monday afternoon, the hospital was inundated with cases where people were seeking relief from ailments caused by non-communicable diseases.

"We have just been receiving patients with critical heart conditions, lately. I had to take a patient to town in the ambulance, who was having heart problems," he said.

"Luckily, even at 80-years-old, he was revived with the machine in Apia, which we don't have here in Lalomanu. 

"The elderly man told me that he will see me here in the village. I told him, no, he had to get to a steady condition first. And so far, we have had no Covid cases on this side of the island."