Kabelo Tlhabanelo
With only five ambulances in Bloemfontein City, waiting to get transported can be a painful and never-ending experience.
Sometimes the wait takes hours, and sometimes the ambulance doesn’t arrive at all.
Joshua Motoko, a patient from Bultfontein, Free State has a frustrating story to tell.
He was at Universitas Hospital and needed to be transported to Pelonomi Hospital.
The hospital matron called for an ambulance to fetch Joshua on Friday but it never arrived.
“I was referred to be seen by a specialist doctor at Pelonomi on the same day but hours later the ambulance had not arrived. The matron even knocked off without the ambulance arriving.”
He said he hoped the calls made on Saturday would make a difference, but the only thing they received was a reference number.
Worried that his appointment with a specialist would be cancelled Joshua asked his uncle to transport him to the hospital on Sunday and he made his appointment for Monday.
When diabetic City Vinger from Batho, Mangaung collapsed, a 112 emergency call was made on 7 April at 2pm.
“The ambulance arrived at 8.30pm and I told my partner to chase it away. I had recovered and there was no longer a need for their help,” City said.
Sipho Towa of Emergency Medical Services told Scrolla.Africa they are operating with five ambulances but not because they don’t have more to spare.
“We need paramedics,” he said.
He said they are working towards improving the service by recruiting over 500 EMS personnel.
