News24 reports that following a number of incidents, Gauteng Emergency Medical Services paramedics will be embarking on a three kilometre walk in Ekurhuleni on Friday to protest against ongoing attacks on them and to raise awareness about the serious problem.
According to the Gauteng Department of Health, paramedics were attacked at gunpoint in Reiger Park, Boksburg, on Tuesday morning while responding to a call of a woman in labour. "The crew was robbed by three armed men who made off with their personal cellphones and wallets. The criminals also took the ambulance keys," the department reported. Despite being accosted, the paramedics still assisted with the delivery of the baby and made arrangements for a second ambulance to assist in transporting both mother and baby to the hospital. In another incident, on Wednesday, at around 05:21, paramedics were held at gunpoint and robbed while attending a medical call in Eersterus in Tshwane. The crew was robbed of their personal cellphones and also a department-issued cellphone. Fortunately, the crew escaped unharmed and still managed to deliver the patient to hospital.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24
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