Shortage of ambulances ‘endangers lives of patients in Gauteng’

DA Gauteng spokesperson for Health Nicola du Plessis has decried the status of the province’s emergency services, saying they are in bad state due to unavailability of ambulances to service communities.

A recent Bhekisia study also revealed that South Africa had only 1 971 state-run ambulances on the road in 2018. The study indicated that the country was in short supply of ambulances as the recommended number of ambulances should be 5 700, or one per every 10 000 people.

Du Plessis said this kind of shortage, which is evident in the province, has resulted in residents having to suffer, with some of them paying with their lives. She said this should not be the case, as there is a fleet of ambulances gathering dust at the Dunnottar Clinic in Nigel, Ekurhuleni.

“It is unacceptable that lives are put in danger because of a slow emergency line response, while a fleet of G-set ambulances is abandoned at the Dunnottar Clinic.These ambulances have been abandoned at Dunnottar Clinic for five months without being dispatched to their respective clinics,” du Plessis said.

Du Plessis said the DA has over the past few months received numerous complaints from whistle-blowers that ambulances take up to three to eight hours to respond to an emergency. She said the party also conducted its own oversight inspection to verify the claims.

“We also conducted an oversight inspection at the Angelo Kater depot where there are at least 50 abandoned ambulances. We were informed that these ambulances are waiting to be refurbished and get minor repairs. The DA demands answers from the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomathemba Mokgethi, on why a fleet of brand new ambulances has been abandoned at the clinic while there is a shortage of ambulances in the province. We also want to know when the ambulances at Angelo Kater depot will be fixed,” she said.

The party has accused the Department of Health in the province of gambling with the lives of patients, who depend on the speedy response brought by adequate resources and availability of ambulances.

“This current government is gambling with the lives of our people, and we will not allow it to happen. We demand that MEC Mokgethi ensures that these ambulances are dispatched to their respective clinics to serve our residents.

“The DA is the only party that is prepared to save lives and ensure that emergency services are adequately resourced,” Du Plessis said.