State healthcare facilities remain a constant topic of discussion, with residents either praising the services provided or expressing frustration over delays and limited resources.

However, the impact of these challenges extends beyond government facilities, with private emergency medical services often left carrying the burden when state services cannot meet public demand.

The Newcastle Advertiser spoke to Jan van Rensburg, owner of Magenta Medical Services, and Intermediate Life Support paramedic Charles Steyn about the financial strain placed on the private sector due to the growing reliance on private ambulance services.

“We get dispatched to accident scenes and, when we arrive, we jump in and start treating patients before transporting them to hospital,” said Van Rensburg.

“Most of these patients are state patients, meaning they cannot afford to pay the bill afterwards.”

Currently, Newcastle has four private ambulance services, but the number of road accidents and emergency situations in Newcastle, Madadeni, Osizweni and Kilbarchan often exceeds the available ambulance fleet capacity.

“When state ambulances cannot reach all the scenes, the responsibility eventually falls on the private sector to assist,” he said.

Private services fill gaps without state support

Unlike government emergency services, private ambulance companies receive no financial support or subsidy from the state.

“We have to cover all our own expenses, including salaries, insurance, medical equipment, diesel, rent and utilities. We are solely responsible for keeping the service running,” explained Van Rensburg.

Private emergency services rely heavily on patient payments, either through medical aids or direct payments from individuals.

“Most patients who use private services through medical aids are covered, but state patients generally do not have medical aid and therefore need to pay cash. The problem is that many of them cannot afford to settle the bill afterwards, despite initially agreeing to do so.”

This leaves private ambulance companies carrying significant unpaid costs.

Van Rensburg also highlighted that private emergency services provide more than basic patient transport.

“The private sector offers basic life support, intermediate life support and advanced life support levels of care. These are specialised services requiring highly trained personnel and expensive equipment.”

Misuse of emergency services adds pressure

While the shortage of state ambulance resources remains a major concern, Van Rensburg said the community also plays a role in placing additional pressure on private services.

“Community WhatsApp groups are constantly requesting ambulance assistance. Sometimes people say they cannot get hold of the state ambulance service, while others simply do not want state assistance.”

Patients often agree to private service fees when assistance is requested but later refuse to pay.

“People need to understand that we are a business. We have employees who rely on us for their income and bills that need to be paid.”

Another concern is the misuse of emergency services.

“We are called out for suspected heart attacks, only to arrive and discover it’s something minor. We are also called to assist patients who have fallen out of bed because their family members cannot transport them.”

While these incidents may appear insignificant, they have a major impact on emergency response availability.

“When we transport a patient, we remain with them until they are admitted. This can sometimes take up to four hours. During that time, we cannot respond to other emergencies.”

Van Rensburg said this means private services lose both income and the opportunity to assist patients who genuinely need urgent care.

“We have had calls where people simply wanted transport into town. We are not a taxi service; we are an emergency medical service.”

Financial pressure threatens jobs

The financial strain also threatens employment opportunities.

“We are not a large company, but we provide jobs to eight people. If this continues, we could eventually be forced to close our doors, and those employees would lose their jobs.”

He added that losing experienced paramedics would be a significant loss to the community.

“Our medics are highly skilled and dedicated. They put their lives at risk when responding to dangerous scenes, but they continue doing it because they are committed to helping people.”

Private ambulance services also face challenges when working alongside state facilities.

“We often receive calls intended for state ambulance services and inform them of the situation. Unfortunately, we are sometimes told that because we have a fleet, we can attend to the call ourselves.”

Van Rensburg stressed that private services cannot be expected to replace government emergency services without support.

“The community needs to understand the impact this has on us. We are not subsidised by government. When people do not pay for the services they receive, we are the ones left carrying the cost.

“We want to help our community, but we need the community to understand that emergency medical services require funding to continue operating,” he concluded.

The Newcastle Advertiser has reached out to various government facilities for comment. However, no responses had been received at the time of going to print.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel