News24 reports that the Western Cape's health and wellness department said it was concerned that violent criminals were targeting its emergency medical services (EMS) teams.

The department reported that criminals had targeted staff on 10 occasions for the year and, although most attacks did not result in serious physical injuries, the staff had been traumatised and essential healthcare services to the most vulnerable were often disrupted. In a statement on Monday, the department said that, over the past weekend, EMS teams were targeted in Parow, Langa and Pinelands. On Saturday, an ambulance crew escaped a robbery at gunpoint as they were travelling down Francie van Zijl Drive, towards Elsies River. On Sunday, a crew member in Langa was slapped in the face by a patient, who refused assistance. In a separate incident, cable theft occurred at the EMS base in Pinelands. The department said that while the unpredictable work environment exposed EMS personnel to many risks, violence should not be one of them. "Staff safety is a high priority for the department, and we will continue to provide the necessary employee assistance programme interventions to the affected personnel and implement essential measures to help ensure that EMS personnel are kept safe. These include staff safety, management strategies, safety stakeholder engagements, and community initiatives," the department stated.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marvin Charles at News24

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