News24 reports that the Western Cape health department has barred all emergency medical service (EMS) personnel from entering certain areas without a police escort.
This came after an EMS crew was held at gunpoint in the early hours of Tuesday morning while responding to an emergency call in J-Section, Khayelitsha. In a statement on Wednesday, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said "red" zones where EMS crews have been attacked more than once had been identified. "We have put in place procedures to forbid any EMS personnel from entering these zones without escort of the South African Police Service," she indicated. The department has also introduced situational awareness training, which includes anti-hijacking training, to paramedics. Ambulance windows have been fitted with tinted smash-and-grab safety film.
- Read this report by James de Villiers in full at News24
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