AMBULANCE CRISIS IN WEST RAND

Urgent action is needed to resolve the emergency ambulance crisis in the West Rand that has led in one instance to an 80-year-old Krugersdorp man waiting more than a week for an ambulance.

Mr Frederick Botha collapsed and fell at his home on Saturday 6 July, but was only taken to the Yusuf Dadoo Hospital this past Sunday (14 July) with a suspected hip fracture.

It has been reported that Mogale City emergency services ground to a halt two weeks ago after the only available ambulance ran over a dog while responding to an accident call. The airbag popped out and it has been grounded since.

The West Rand District has only one ambulance instead of the required 11 ambulances to serve the 300 000 residents in Mogale City.

I get lots of complaints from other parts of the West Rand about the poor ambulance service.

The Gauteng Health Department must provide more ambulances urgently as lives are at risk in this area.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, July 17 2013

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