Ambulance shortage in the city a reality: emergency services worker speaks out
There is still a shortage of ambulances in the city, an employee at the emergency medical services (EMS) call centre in Antimoon Street, Ladanna revealed to Review on condition of anonymity.
POLOKWANE – There is still a shortage of ambulances in the city, an employee at the emergency medical services (EMS) call centre in Antimoon Street, Ladanna revealed to Review on condition of anonymity.
This follows Review’s recent reports on EMS employees being unhappy with their working conditions, complaining that circumstances were so bad they had to apparently bring their own toilet paper to work, as there was none available at the call centre.
The employees also complained that they worked 12-hour shifts in the call centre, having to sit on uncomfortable chairs which were broken.
“If you don’t sit still you could easily fall off your chair,” one of the employees said.
Another complaint the workers had was that the call centre was on the second floor of the building and there was no water on this floor after a waterpipe burst more than three months ago.
The department of health confirmed that it was a geyser that burst and said the department of public works was busy working on the problem and that employees could go to the ground floor if they needed water, or to use the bathroom.
The workers also complained about the lift that was not working. The department also confirmed this and said the workers could use the stairs until the elevator was repaired by public works.
According to the employees there were still only two ambulances operating in the city, as the rest were broken and there was no money to repair them.
One of the results of there not being enough ambulances in the city was that on Mother’s Day, a desperate father from Westenburg was told that there was no ambulance available to assist his wife, who was in labour.
The woman had a miscarriage and the man had to leave his dead baby behind, while organising alternative transport to take his wife to hospital.
The department confirmed that the father did call for an ambulance and he was indeed told that there was no ambulance to assist him.
The EMS employees said since Review’s reports on these matters, nothing had changed.
There was also still equipment worth some R2 million lying in the storeroom unused, the employees said.
By the time of going to print the department had not given comment on the matter.
