THE willingness to assist others is often fraught with obstacles, but with a strong will, determination and continued effort one eventually succeeds.
This was the case when Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) had a superfluous ambulance replaced at the mine and management agreed to donate the old ambulance to the Zululand District Department of Health.
Continued attempts to reach the right person within the KZN Department of Health took more than a year before ZAC Sustainable Development Manager Zodwa Ntuli made contact with someone who would be able to facilitate the donation.
‘This project has been very frustrating for me, but through determination and continued effort we are finally able to hand over this much needed resource to help the people of the Zululand District,’ Ntuli said.
The mine has been in partnership with its four host communities in the Zululand District for more than 30 years and ZAC Managing Director Niels Kristensen said it was important that the company gives back to its neighbours.
There is a small hospital on the mining site with an ambulance to deal with emergencies.
About 700 people live within the main ZAC central complex.
The ZAC Health and Safety team also responds to calls from community members in extreme emergencies to stabilise a patient until such time as the relevant medical assistance arrives.
The ambulance was handed over to the District Manager of Zululand District Health Services, Sipho Kunene.
‘The old ambulance was still in good order, but superfluous to our needs and the decision was made to donate the vehicle to the Department of Health,’ said Kristensen.
‘The vehicle has been refurbished with equipment and checked to ensure it is ready for immediate deployment.’
Ambulances in short supply
Accepting the vehicle on behalf of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS), Kunene said the Zululand District had a population of around 860 000 people, and according to the national norm, there should be at least one ambulance for every 10 000 people.
‘There should be 86 ambulances operating in the district, but we only have 26, which means there is a shortfall of 60 ambulances. This donation is therefore much appreciated.’
District Control Centre Manager Musa Mthethwa said they often have to deal with outstanding calls for ambulance services, but cannot respond due to the lack of vehicles and resources.
‘Although this one vehicle cannot meet all the demands, it will help us in delivering a better services to the people of the district,’ he said.
