Ramakgopa: Emergency services ready for the festive season
The Department of Health in Gauteng says it is all
systems go for this year’s festive season.
The department held a press briefing on the state-of-readiness of the province’s emergency services at the Baragwanath Hospital on Thursday.
“Gauteng is ready for the festive season ahead, we will be working with other law enforcement agencies as part of the measures to reduce trauma,” said Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa.
The department has procured additional emergency vehicles in an effort to make sure that emergency services run more smoothly during the festive period.
“We have just launched 60 more new emergency medical services ambulances this year with an additional ten response vehicles. We also have ICU vans that are mobile that can come to the scene and stabilize while we are waiting for transportation. We also have specialized maternity ambulances, we also have five vehicles that are wheelchair friendly, where you can pull patients from a wheelchair,” added Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa also announced that Gauteng will employ additional nurses.
This comes hot on the heels of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s announcement over the weekend that more than 5300 health workers were needed to fill vacant posts from the beginning of next year.
“As Gauteng, we have come back with 245 general nurses and an additional 40 specialist nurses. Amongst others, the specialists are in ICU, trauma, maternity, obstetrics and psychiatry. We are doing our best to ensure that we reduce disease burden and trauma but should any of our people find themselves injured or sick, that the health system provided optimal support for recovery,” Ramokgopa said.
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