More leaked figures contradict the claim by Johannesburg Metro Council that emergency ambulance response times have improved.
According to May figures that I have obtained, the response times have worsened for 27 out of 29 stations compared to last year.
Diepkloof in Soweto is now the worst station, taking about 50 minutes on average to reach patients in May, up from an average time of 30 minutes last year.
The other two Soweto stations, Jabulani and Dobsonville, have also deteriorated, from 32 and 24 minutes last year respectively, to 41 and 39 minutes now, which means that Soweto as a whole is the worst served part of the city.
In the south of Johannesburg, Turfontein station has worsened from 30 to 40 minutes, and Kibler Park from 20 to 41 minutes.
The previous best station, Berea, now responds to calls in about 33 minutes, up from 16.5 minutes last year.
Other examples include the following:
·Fairview (east Johannesburg) - 34 minutes (previously 19.5)
·Florida (west Johannesburg) - 37 minutes (previously 21.5)
·Orange Grove (north east Johannesburg) - 35 minutes (previously 27)
·Randburg (north west Johannesburg) - 34 minutes (previously 19)
Only two stations have improved - Modderfontein from 36 minutes down to 29, and Rosettenville down to 21 from 26.
Not a single station has a response time better than 20 minutes, compared to the international standard of 12 minutes.
The cause is poor management, including communication problem with radios and call centres, badly-driven ambulances ending up in workshops or scrapped, and low staff morale.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services should stop lying to the public and should be held accountable by Mayor Amos Masondo, who should start by firing EMS head Audrey Gule.
Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu should also intervene to ensure that Johannesburg gets a quality ambulance service.
Statement by Jack Bloom, MPL, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Health Spokesman, June 28 2010
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