Cape Town - Paramedics attending to patients in the city have been robbed and had belongings and critical medical equipment stolen from their ambulances on seven occasions this year.
In the latest incident, in Mitchells Plain on Wednesday, criminals stole an oxygen cylinder with gauge, a glucometer, an electronic blood pressure cuff, a paramedic’s handbag and a GPS unit.
Provincial emergency medical services (EMS) spokesman Robert Daniels said none of the paramedics in the recorded incidents since January were injured. He said it was a concern that ambulances and paramedics were being targeted by criminals on a regular basis.
In the Mitchells Plain incident, paramedics had responded to a distressed 53-year-old diabetic patient in Eastridge at 3.40am. When they were leaving the house in Olive Street at 4.30am, they discovered the theft.
“It is a concern that ambulances and EMS personnel are falling victims to crime in the very communities EMS is serving on a regular basis. An ambulance without an oxygen tank cannot be considered functional, so the Mitchells Plain area is an ambulance poorer until we are able to replace the stolen equipment which will certainly hamper service delivery and response times in the area,” Daniels said.
Police are investigating a case of theft out of motor vehicle, spokesman Andrè Traut said. He said police were yet to make arrests.
Health MEC Theuns Botha called for witnesses to provide information on the “attack” on an EMS ambulance.
“It is unacceptable that criminals are able to effect this kind of attack on our emergency vehicles and equipment, and in the process prohibit our EMS staff from doing their job,” Botha said.
The provincial health department has previously said staff had been told that their personal safety was of primary concern, and if they felt unsafe they could leave or ask for a police escort. It listed Mitchells Plain as one of the areas in which there was concern for the safety of paramedics. The other areas were Delft, Elsies River, Manenberg, Khayelitsha and Lavender Hill.
Lianne Vinello-Lipper, founder of Refreshing Emergency Services Together, said the incidents were also happening in so-called safe areas.
“Sadly these attacks have been happening too often. These guys are robbed, held at gunpoint and shot at while doing their jobs.
“It’s not only your Mitchells Plain or Khayelitsha where they are happening. These attacks happen in upmarket places like Constantia and it has to stop,” Vinello-Lipper said.
She believed not enough was being done by companies and the government to ensure the safety. On many occasions paramedics had to wait for police escort to enter some areas, Vinello-Lipper said but added that police also had other responsibilities.
Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said his department has in the past held discussions around the safety of paramedics and ambulance.
It would “assist in revisiting and updating proposals to increase safety based on the needs and changing circumstances”, Plato said.
* January 2: A 23-year-old paramedic was held up in Tafelsig and a robber made off with medical equipment.
* In January: Two ER24 paramedics were held at gunpoint and robbed in their ambulance in Gugulethu. A robber took two cellphones and a hand-held radio.
* January 27: A 27-year-old paramedic was shot in the arm in Tafelsig while on duty.
Cape Times