Robbed while helping patient

WESTERN Cape MEC for Community Safety Dan Plato said the attack on three paramedics who were robbed at gunpoint while attending to a fiveyear-old girl in Khayelitsha was a “disgrace”.

ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said the paramedics received a call, shortly after midnight yesterday, to see to the girl who had been suffering from seizures.

While the medics were stabilising the girl inside the ambulance, its doors were flung open and a gun was pointed at them.

Vermaak said: “Two suspects, believed to be in their twenties, demanded cellphones and wallets. One of the suspects asked for the rapid response vehicle’s key. While the paramedics were held at gunpoint in the ambulance, the second suspect went to the rapid response vehicle with the key.

“It is believed that he used the key to open the vehicle, which was locked at the time, instead of the remote, which activated emergency sirens.”

At the time the girl’s mother was also inside the ambulance.

Vermaak said both suspects fled the scene, getting away with cellphones and a GPS from the ambulance.

Of the incident, Plato said: “I simply have no words to describe the complete and utter lack of humanity displayed by these individuals who could have caused the death of a young girl simply because they placed a higher value on cellphones than somebody’s life.”

He said he was happy that the medics did not resist and were able to stabilise the girl despite having being robbed.

“This type of behaviour sends the wrong message to private companies like ER24 who provide a valuable community service but will be less willing to respond to emergency call outs in areas in which they have been robbed and attacked.”

Plato asked that anyone with information on the two suspects to report it to the local police stations in Khayelitsha or directly to his office on 021 483 4332.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said the incident occurred in Buyani Street, Site B, Khayelitsha.

He said a case of armed robberyhad been opened for investigation and no arrests had been made.