NW Health’s dysfunctional emergency services puts patients at risk

15 June 2020

Note to Editors: Kindly find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by DA North West Spokesperson on Health, Gavin Edwards.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West remains concerned about the Department of Health’s persistent failure to provide efficient, functional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) which not only puts patients' lives at risk, but also promotes the outsourcing of these services at an astronomical cost.

In a report presented to the Portfolio Committee on Health in the North West Provincial Legislature last week, it was revealed that the Provincial Ambulance Fleet is operating at a 70% capacity despite the procurement of 48 new vehicles in October 2019.  The Dr Kenneth Kaunda District is the worst affected, with only 17 of its 33 allocated EMS vehicles in operation.

With only 14 paramedics and 13 Emergency Care Practitioners (ECP) in the province, the ambulance staff complement clearly needs urgent attention. This shortage necessitates the outsourcing of the majority of emergency calls to costly private services.

The situation is exacerbated by the Department’s failure to ensure that both private and public ambulances operate in terms of the 2017 gazetted Emergency Medical Regulations, which requires inspections followed by the awarding of operating discs.

Subsequently, private ambulances that have applied for accreditation, have not been inspected and others have been inspected, but have not received operating discs. Several public ambulances are also operating in contravention with these regulations.

We will submit written questions to the MEC for the Department of Health, Madoda Sambatha, requesting a detailed report on the number of ambulances that have applied for accreditation, how many have received operating discs and also reasons for the delay.

Adding to the woes of vehicle shortages, is the Department’s inability to establish its targeted Emergency Communication Centre within the Emergency Services.

The Department’s failure to establish a fleet management system, tracking system for ambulances and an electronic patient report form system, speaks volumes of its inability to provide efficient emergency services to the people of North West.

The DA’s written questions to the MEC regarding the Department’s compliance to Emergency Medical Regulations, as well as details about the utilisation of ambulances in the province, went unanswered.

We believe that this is a matter of public interest and will now write to Premier Mokgoro, requesting him to compel MEC Sambatha to urgently respond to our questions.

Issued by Gavin Edwards, DA North West Spokesperson on Health, 15 June 2020