by Michael Kaars, Cllr – DA Councillor of Frances Baard District Municipality ![]() Date: 15 October 2020Release: Immediate The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is calling on the MEC of Health, Maruping Lekwene, to give attention to the ambulance crisis in Phokwane. This comes after revelations that the fleet serving the Phokwane area has, over time, literally halved from six ambulances to just three, with only one ambulance being stationed in each of the main towns of Pampierstad, Jan Kempdorp and Hartswater.In effect, the lives of residents in need of medical care, are being compromised.Not long ago, I myself was put in a precarious position whereby a patient who couldn’t breathe due to Covid-19 related issues, urgently needed to be transported to the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley. There was no ambulance available at the time. Given that the patient needed specialised care and was Covid-19 positive, I also could not take him.The lack of operational ambulances in Phokwane and the Northern Cape is worsening and has reached crisis point.In fact, the department previously reported that the number of operational ambulances in the province has declined from 120 to 80 on average per day.What good is it to have health care services, if people cannot access them, especially during a pandemic?Ambulances are one of the key frontline services in the health system. They need to be given more priority within the health chain. This tendency of them simply being considered as transporters, must also come to an end. They are, more often than not, the difference between life and death.The DA will escalate our concerns regarding dismal ambulance services in Phokwane municipal area to MEC Lekwene, for immediate action.Surely it is time to make good on the promises of the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, who stated at his inauguration last year that savings to be made through more prudent purchasing of vehicles for Members of the Executive, would be used to purchase additional ambulances. Media Enquiries Michael Kaars, CllrDA Councillor of Frances Baard District Municipality073 068 9231 Shelley de WittNC Media Manager082 847 1387 |
