Councillors worry over ambulance shortage

Published: 6 hours ago

Councillors have expressed concern over a severe shortage of ambulances in the city, warning that the crisis is undermining emergency health delivery services.

According to minutes of a recent full council meeting, Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu said ambulance delays were now exceeding an hour, far above the international standard of six minutes. He urged council to urgently explore donations as a way to ease the shortage, noting that procurement processes were slow and suppliers often failed to respond to tenders.

"All ambulance calls are delayed by more than an hour. The international ambulance response time is six minutes," read part of the minutes. "Some injuries in a road traffic accident require specially-trained personnel and equipment to transport the injured to hospital or medical centre. The city needs more ambulances."

While lamenting the ambulance crisis, councillors commended the city's fire brigade for its efficiency and effectiveness in responding to emergencies both within and beyond Bulawayo's boundaries. The brigade was also praised for forging strong partnerships with NGOs such as Operation Florian, which has donated equipment and training support.

"The fire brigade's equipment is one of the best in the country," the minutes stated. "The section has also managed to resuscitate four ambulances which will be used for training purposes."

The fire brigade has been actively engaging surrounding rural district councils, offering fire-fighting and rescue training, as well as conducting fire prevention campaigns in Bulawayo's wards. Councillor Adrian Moyo highlighted that a recent quick response to a veld fire in Sauerstown prevented a disaster that could have destroyed a nearby electricity substation.

Meanwhile, chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou told councillors that the city's fire and ambulance services department had been directed to provide training for six rural district councils in the southern region. She revealed that Local Government secretary Dr John Basera had requested that training fees be slashed from the gazetted US$14 076 to US$15 per person per day.

Councillors urged other council departments to emulate the fire brigade's partnership model to help secure much-needed ambulances and improve service delivery.
- Southern Eye

Tags: Ambulance,