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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the MEC of Health, Maruping Lekwene, to halt the procurement of a digital dispatch system for ambulances and to first prioritise the repair and maintenance of its vehicles, especially in the Namaqua district.

An incident whereby I last week came across a broken-down ambulance on the N7 on the way to Hondeklipbay, has once again shone the spotlight on the health department’s defunct fleet. This comes after the ambulance was not even equipped with the necessary spanner to enable the driver to change his tyre (see pic here). The driver also lamented the state of the vehicle’s other clearly worn tyres. The vehicle functions largely as a patient transporter, ferrying patients from outside of Garies to doctors’ appointments and for sonars and is rarely available when there is an emergency.

At the same time, the new ambulance procured specifically for the Kamiesberg area is sitting in Springbok and has apparently been prohibited from driving on Kamiesberg’s many gravel roads.

Meanwhile, an image of 10 broken vehicles belonging to the Northern Cape Department of Health, parked on the premises of the Springbok hospital, all with flat tyres or missing tyres, epitomises the state of the health fleet in the Namaqua district. Bushes have started to grow around some of the vehicles, signifying that they have been there for a prolonged period of time. 

It is little wonder that health services in the greater Namaqua district continue to slide, with access to health services and emergency care suffering.

Following the province’s recent announcement of a digital ambulance dispatch system, the DA repeats our call to government to rather first ensure that there is a quick turn-around time for vehicle repairs and that vehicles receive real-time attention when they breakdown. This should also include an urgent review of the service provider who is contracted for health vehicle repairs in the province.

Only once operational vehicles outweigh broken vehicles, can the province seriously consider looking into a dispatch system, otherwise they will have nothing other than flat tyres to dispatch.

In addition to calling for the prioritisation of health vehicle repairs, the DA is also appealing for additional ambulances and staff to be allocated to the Namakwa district, and especially Kamiesberg to prevent the unnecessary loss of life in the case of an emergency. A letter will be submitted to Health MEC, Maruping Lekwene, in this regard.

Issued by Esme Hough, Cllr - Kamiesberg municipality