220 ambulances added to Gauteng emergency services fleet to deal with Covid-19 fourth wave
Image: MARK ANDREWS
The Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on Wednesday launched a new fleet of ambulances as part of its festive season readiness programme and to respond to the fourth wave of Covid-19.
“These ambulances will be deployed across the province during the festive period, a time which is marked by a high demand for emergency medical services,” said the provincial health department.
Of the 220 ambulances, 200 are for intermediate life support (ILS) and 20 for intensive care unit (ICU).
“The recapitalisation of the EMS fleet has been extended to 2023, in line with the ever-growing population of Gauteng, and will enable the Gauteng EMS to adequately respond to emergencies,” said the department.
The Gauteng EMS routinely receives an average 47,916 and 47,657 calls in November and December respectively.
The majority of the cases during this period are motor vehicle accidents, assaults and gunshot wounds.
“The new EMS fleet will ensure that districts are better resourced as part of ongoing efforts to improve overall service delivery, increase operational efficiencies, streamlining of services and creating a seamless emergency medical service in Gauteng.
“Over the past three months the Gauteng EMS has increased its staff, with more than 160 EMS personnel being recruited in various categories including basic life support, intermediate life support and advanced life support.”
“The unveiling of this new fleet is a demonstration of our commitment to ensure Gauteng has EMS that is fully capacitated to respond to emergencies. We have already started a recruitment process to ensure that we have enough people to manage these cars,” said health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi.
She urged the public to work closely with the EMS and stop the attacks on ambulances and staff.
“As we enter the festive period we call on people to be careful on the roads, not to drink and drive and take breaks if travelling long distances.
“We are still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic so urge the public to continue adhering to the non-pharmaceutical preventative measures,” she said.
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