DENEYSVILLE – Thousands of residents in Deneysville, Oranjeville and surrounding rural communities are set to benefit from faster emergency medical services after Sasol officially handed over a newly built Emergency Medical Services (EMS) facility and critical water infrastructure to the Free State Department of Health on July 21.
The new EMS facility is expected to transform emergency response for more than 31 000 residents by bringing ambulance services closer to the communities they serve.
Previously, emergency crews had to travel from Sasolburg, about 30km away, often delaying responses to road crashes, trauma incidents, medical emergencies and childbirth complications.
The construction contract was awarded to a 100% black women-owned local small business, creating about 34 temporary jobs while providing valuable skills development opportunities for local workers.
In another major boost for healthcare, Sasol installed boreholes at four health facilities across the Fezile Dabi District and provided a backup water system for Parys Hospital.
The intervention comes as many healthcare facilities continue to battle unreliable water supply and recurring outages that threaten patient care.
The projects form part of Sasol’s long-standing partnership with the Free State Department of Health to improve healthcare infrastructure across the region.
Since 2014, Sasol has invested more than R70m in upgrading healthcare facilities in Metsimaholo.
Major projects include the expansion of Fezi Ngubentombi Hospital to district hospital status, upgrades to the Zamdela Health Care Centre, Clinic B, Harry Gwala and Thusanang clinics, and the construction of the new Sasolburg Clinic.
The company has also donated five mobile clinics and a mobile eye clinic to improve access to healthcare in remote communities.
Sasol Senior Vice President for Sasolburg and Natref Operations, Ntokozo Gcabashe, said the projects were about much more than bricks and mortar.
“The Deneysville EMS facility is far more than a building, and the boreholes, more than wells – they are lifelines. Sasol has delivered interventions that not only save lives today, but also strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system for the future,” she said.
