Netwerk24 notes that ambulance crews complain that they feel unsafe at accident scenes, but asks: How serious can the situation be? Shockingly serious, reports Le Roux Schoeman, who accompanied EMS Ambulance #48 on New Year’s Eve on its call-outs on the Cape Flats.
In 2016, more than 80 incidents were reported in the Western Cape where medical personnel and emergency workers were crime targets. The safety of ambulances is now such a problem that, before each shift, provincial emergency personnel are informed which areas cannot be entered into without police protection. But there’s not enough manpower to always accompany ambulances. Sometimes it’s simply just too unsafe to respond.
- Read this insightful report by Le Roux Schoeman in full in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limited access)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page