EWN reports that there have been 68 attacks on medical emergency officials across the Western Cape this year, which is a marked increase from last year when 20 incidents were recorded.  

Most of the attacks occur in Cape Town.  On Tuesday morning, two paramedics were on a call in Mitchells Plain when they came under attack.  Despite being escorted by police to a patient's home in Beacon Valley, the paramedics were still attacked.  A shot was fired at the ambulance, striking one of the paramedics in the chest, but luckily for him, he was wearing a bulletproof vest.  This was not the first time the man has had a brush with death, as he was stabbed in the back in the same area in a separate attack.  Director of emergency medical services Shaheem de Vries said the department did not issue body armour.  “We are in the process of exploring body armour for the paramedics. There are strong arguments for and against this,” De Vries indicated.

• Read the original of the report in the above regard by Kaylynn Palm at EWN

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