Picture: An aeromedical service helicopter/Generic
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West calls on the North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha to re-introduce aeromedical transport services. The DA spokesperson on health and Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL), Gavin Edwards said, Sambatha should request an adjustment to the department’s budget to accommodate the aeromedical transport services.
“North West is largely a rural province with extremely long distances between medical facilities. All specialised medical care is only provided at hospitals in Klerksdorp, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom and Brits, which means that patients with serious and emergency life-threatening medical conditions need to be transported by road to these facilities for treatment.
“Aeromedical services were delivered under the illegal Buthelezi EMS, which came to an end in 2019, with a financial cost of R37 million. The contract with Buthelezi EMS is subject to a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and a Hawks investigation, which has yet to yield any positive results. Not a single person has been arrested and none of the wasted taxpayer funds have been recovered,” Edwards said.
He further said, in response to written DA questions, the “out of touch” North West Premier, Bushy Maape replied that, the services would only be introduced based on the availability of budget, as part of the 2020 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Strategy. Edwards added that, this is a convenient cop-out because as the Executive, they decide how funding would be allocated in the budget and there is much to be said that in 2023, the provincial government is still working on an outdated EMS strategy from 2020.
“Maape is completely disconnected from the reality that patients in the province confront. Promises of better services, based on a three-year-old strategy, without details, timetables, or precise implementation strategies remain at the heart of an ineffective ANC-run government.
“The ANC-led North West stands in stark contrast with the DA-led Western Cape, which has functional and effective aeromedical and ambulance services and where we take pride in the exceptional medical care and quick turnaround times that contribute significantly to saving the lives of the citizens,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “Currently, the province does not have a dedicated aeromedical service. There is no contracted ambulance service provider for aeromedical services like Buthelezi EMS in 2019.
“The department is utilising an aeromedical service when the need arises. The majority of our patients are transported by road utilizing our own staff. To date, no expenditure has been incurred on aeromedical services.”
The Guardian 