Planned Patient Transport vehicles ‘redirected’
Residents of Moutse expressed concerns over Limpopo Department of Health's decision to redirect a Planned Patient Transport (PPT) vehicle, meant for Philadelphia Hospital in Dennilton, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality to another area in Sekhukhune district, Meclenburg in Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality.
LIMPOPO – In April this year, Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, handed over a fleet of ambulances and a PPT vehicle, a Sprinter minibus, to Philadelphia Hospital.
Residents now question her initial intentions after it was learnt that the fleet had been taken to another hospital.
According to residents the department’s move symbolised the neglect of the people of Moutse following this year’s general election.
Seun Mogotji, a community leader, worried that following elections they learned that the ambulances were meant to be distributed to other hospitals outside Moutse and that the MEC wrote a letter instructing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to take the PPT Sprinter minibus to another place where it was needed, meaning the people of Moutse had no need for the vehicle.
Mogotji said the recent move by the department was an indication that the MEC did not care about the people of Moutse and their well-being, and only used them as votes’ fodders during elections.
Mogotji added that to compound the matter, patients were transported from Philadelphia Hospital to George Mukhari Hospital in Garankuwa at the back of a bakkie last month.
“Just last week, nine patients from the hospital who were supposed to be transported to Mankweng Hospital, were sent back home because there was no PPT vehicle,” complained Mogotji.
Neil Shikwambana, Health Spokesperson, said Philadelphia Hospital currently had four PPT vehicles and three ambulances but Meclenburg had two PPT vehicles and four ambulances.
Shikwambana said that meant Philadelphia would have five PPT vehicles while Meclenburg would have only two.
“So swopping as proposed, was necessary for service delivery.
“It must be noted that all these hospitals are situated in Sekhukhune and all these patients belong to us and must be supported equally.
With the limited resources, we must appreciate that we will rearrange some of these resources to better serve our people. The PPT that failed to take patients to Polokwane was as a result of a driver who did not report for duty and only informed us late that he was booked off sick.
“However, we made alternative arrangements, using a driver from Jane Furse,” concluded Shikwambana.
