Child dies after bed and ambulance failure

11 October 2023

The Democratic Alliance is most distressed by the death of 6-year-old Oreratile Chabalala as no ambulance was available to transfer him speedily from Odi hospital to a specialist hospital to save his life.

Oreratile had breathing problems on 2 October and was admitted to Odi Hospital in north Gauteng. He needed to be transferred to George Mukhari hospital, but they said they had a bed shortage. When a bed became available there was no ambulance available to transport him, and he died last Saturday.

His devastated family blame the bed and ambulance shortage for delaying treatment that could have saved his life.

This tragic case highlights the hospital and ambulance crisis in Gauteng due to gross mismanagement and corruption.

According to the latest Gauteng Health Department Quarterly Report, only 42% of Priority 1 calls in urban areas were attended to within 30 minutes instead of the 85% target. In rural areas, ambulances reached 83% of P1 calls within 60 minutes instead of the 100% target.

The scandalous thing is that rural ambulances from Bronkhorstspruit have to be used to attend to calls from the George Mukhari, Steve Biko, Mamelodi and Odi hospitals. It is unbelievable that an ambulance is sent to pick up a patient 90 kilometres away!

I will be asking the Gauteng Health Department to urgently investigate Oreratile‘s death as well as the broader service delivery failures that lead to lost lives.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 11 October 2023