Durban - THE launch of the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Day on Thursday in Wentworth was used to note some of the challenges EMS faces in KwaZulu-Natal and nationally.
National EMS Day aims to recognise the important role of EMS in achieving universal health coverage in South Africa.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu and head of department Dr Sandile Tshabalala were among those present at the launch at the EMS Main
Base.
The new 112 emergency number, new branding of vehicles, uniforms, rank and medical insignia were also unveiled and are now standardised across the country.
Mkhize announced that National EMS Day would fall on October 17 each year.
He said EMS was an enabling
arm of the National Health Insurance policy and he was disturbed at
witnessing EMS personnel being attacked by the community they were serving.
“When we’re no longer able to dispatch ambulances because of
fear for their own lives, then that actually means the whole service is crumbling.
“It cannot be that our own community must look on when people call ambulances, hijack them and then they abuse, they rape, they attack, they kill EMS workers and expect that it’s going to be easy for the next one to respond to a similar call to the same area,” Mkhize said.
He said it was important for community leaders to take the issue seriously.
“Now everything is standard, you can’t mistake an ambulance for any other vehicle, you can’t mistake an emergency rescue practitioner for anyone else because that colour is specific.
“All these other details tell you that you are dealing with someone who is here to save lives.”
The minister reiterated that the department provided the services the community needed, but it was up to the community to protect the service so that it could continue to sustain the services.
The health MEC also spoke on the issue of EMS personnel being attacked, saying their safety was proving to be a serious challenge, and she felt that the department needed to partner with the SAPS and metro police.
“If we don’t work together with councillors and izindunas and all community leaders, it means our EMS workforce, every time a call comes in they must evaluate whether they want to go out or not, because they need to start taking care of their own lives as well,” Simelane-Zulu said.
She said KwaZulu-Natal operated more than 400 ambulances with 2503 paramedics.
The MEC said the department
was aware the fleet was inadequate and the equipment was not enough or old, but added there was a programme aimed at renewing the current fleet.
By December they aimed to have 109 of the 400 vehicles fitted with advanced life support and in the next financial year they wanted to buy at least 100 more vehicles.