Escalating attacks on paramedics a major concern
This follows an incident in which emergency personnel were shot and injured in an attack at Inanda, and another in Cardham, Phoenix in Durban.
THE South African Emergency Personnel Union (SAEPU) has expressed shock by the escalating attacks on paramedics.
This follows an incident in which emergency personnel were shot and injured in an attack at Inanda, and another in Cardham, Phoenix in Durban.
In Inanda, it is alleged that the KZN Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulance crew had responded to an emergency maternity case after receiving a phone call at around 3am.
When they arrived, they met a guide who was supposed to give them directions. He led them to a dirt road, where he produced a firearm and demanded their valuables.
During a scuffle, he fired shots from the back of the ambulance.
A male crew member was shot in the back while his female colleague sustained a gunshot wound to the wrist.
‘We are tired of talking about the same thing every day, talking about people’s lives.
‘Health MECs need to start taking the EMS Unit seriously because what we are witnessing now is very unfortunate,’ SAEPU said.
The union has threatened to withdraw personnel during the night until the workers are protected.
In a statement last week, KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, called on communities to work with law enforcement authorities to bring the culprits to book.
‘When incidents such as these occur, you really start asking yourself questions. How can you tell if a call is about a real emergency? And what will happen if we stop responding to emergency calls at night altogether? People will die because this is an essential service.
‘That is why it is extremely important that people in our communities work together with law enforcement authorities to identify and isolate these unscrupulous criminals so that they can be removed once and for all from our society,’ Simelane-Zulu said.
