KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has condemned an attack on two EMS staffers.
Image: Supplied
The Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal has condemned an attack on emergency crew who were attacked in the KwaDabhasi Othinsangu area, outside Nongoma town in the province's Zululand district. One of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) staffers was hit in the face during the ordeal.
Department MEC, Nomagugu Simelane, said the crew was dispatched to the area following a call of a diabetic patient suffering with chest pains.
"Instead of finding a patient in need, the EMS personnel were deceived into exiting their vehicle and walking downhill towards a homestead where the patient was supposedly located. They were then robbed at gunpoint, forced to surrender their belongings, including cellphones and wallets," she said.
The MEC said it was not the first time that their staff were targeted.
Image: Supplied
The crew was able to get back into the ambulance and drive to a nearby police station.
"This incident is deeply troubling," Simelane said, adding that it emphasised the danger that EMS crews put themselves in when providing critical care to those in distress," Simelane said.
She noted that this is the latest in a string of attacks deliberately targeting EMS vehicles.
"We call on the police to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to apprehend these criminals. At the same time, we urge communities to work with us to protect the lives of EMS workers and safeguard state property.
"We do not condone this behaviour and wish to reiterate that it must stop. These attacks are unwarranted, compromise the safety of our emergency workers, and cripple the essential services they provide. This must end," Simelane said.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
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