Murder in an ambulance: Gauteng Health Department condemns attack
WARNING: STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Durban – The Gauteng Department of Health has condemned the murder of a patient inside an ambulance in Atteridgeville on Monday.
It is alleged that the man had been accused of a crime in the community and attacked.
MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said emergency services were called to the scene and arrived at 8pm.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said police were requested to allow the response team to enter the area safely.
“The patient was found already on the ground surrounded by the community. The paramedics were able to initiate treatment and prepared to transport the patient to the nearest hospital.
“As the ambulance was getting ready to leave the scene community members reacted by throwing stones and barricaded the road to prevent the ambulance from leaving,” she said.
The MEC said residents accused the patient of some crime and demanded justice.
“The Green Angels ran for cover as they were now under attack. Unfortunately, the patient was further fatally assaulted while lying on an ambulance stretcher. The ambulance was also extensively damaged and some medical equipment stolen. A case has since been opened with the police,” she said.
The MEC stressed that attacks on health personnel have dire consequences as they make it difficult for them to discharge the constitutional mandate to provide access to health-care services.
“I will further engage the Community Safety Department and community structures to see how we can work together to strengthen some of the interventions that are already in place to curb such incidents,” she said.
The MEC said Gauteng EMS personnel who were attacked went for medical observation at Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital and will be attending counselling sessions as part of the Employee Health Wellness Programme as well as continuous monitoring of when they return to normal duties.
Nkomo-Ralehoko pleaded with residents of Gauteng not to take the law into their own hands and not Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital hinder operations of the emergency medical personnel whose job is to indiscriminately provide emergency medical care to those who need it.
IOL
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