South African province has only 139 ambulances for 7.2 million people
The Eastern Cape Department of Health revealed that just 139 of its 350 ambulances are operational. This means it has only 1 ambulance for every 52,000 people.
This was revealed in a press statement by Jane Cowley, a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.
She said that the Eastern Cape has a population of 7.2 million citizens, and that national norms and standards require one ambulance for every 10,000 people.
This means that the province should have 720 functional ambulances to adequately serve its population.
However, recently reported figures from the Eastern Cape Department of Health showed that it only has 139 operational ambulances.
211 of its 350 ambulances are grounded, and 167 have been out of service for more than a month.
The Department further confirmed that just 44 of the grounded ambulances have been out of service for less than 30 days.
The remaining 167 ambulances have been grounded for periods ranging from more than 30 to 120 days.
“The Department’s latest figures are significantly worse than those previously provided in a parliamentary reply,” said Cowley.
“This raises questions about both the deterioration of the service and the management of the provincial fleet.”
The Department has acknowledged that the high number of grounded ambulances is placing significant pressure on emergency operations.
It is also affecting its ability to maintain optimal ambulance coverage and response times, particularly in areas with high emergency call volumes.
She said that for many Eastern Cape residents, an ambulance is the lifeline between a sick or injured patient and the healthcare they desperately need.
“Across vast rural areas, patients and their families are being left waiting while ambulances stand broken,” she said.
“Emergency personnel scramble to find alternative transport, and an already overstretched health system struggles to keep functioning.”
She has written to the Eastern Cape Health MEC, Ntandokazi Capa, requesting an investigation into the repair and maintenance of the provincial ambulance fleet.
“I have also written to Premier Oscar Mabuyane requesting his urgent intervention to ensure that this critical service is prioritised,” she said.
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