Concern over rising number of attacks on paramedics

A RECENT spate of attacks on paramedics and emergency personnel in Alexandra township have been condemned harshly by the local community, who have called on locals to stand together and fight for the service.

Joseph Monyai of the Alexandra Community Policing Forum said they planned to call a public meeting soon in order to get community members and other stakeholders together to talk about the problem and plan a way forward.

“We want to send a message to the criminals that they too need an ambulance. They must stop what they are doing. Emergency services are needed almost daily in Alexandra.

“We can’t afford a situation where the response time is delayed or there is no ambulance available at because of criminal activities. We need to rally behind the protection of ambulances,” Monyai said.

He said the community policing forum would also be able to give feedback on the formation of street committees and the visibility of the patrollers in crime hotspots.

“Another thing we need to educate the community on is the abuse of public resources.

“We must call an ambulance only if indeed there is an emergency.”

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said there had been an increase in the number of attacks on paramedics in recent months.

“Almost every month an incident or attack on EMS is reported in Alexandra. In August an incident was reported at 12th Avenue where an ambulance was hijacked at gunpoint with a patient inside.

“And last month, while the patient was on board, paramedics were robbed of their wallets and cellphones.

“The same thing happened in Cosmo City where an ambulance was hijacked,” Mulaudzi said.

“We cannot afford to have a situation where we have no-go areas because of this kind of behaviour.

“This doesn’t just affect our response times, but also our service delivery within the communities we serve,” Mulaudzi noted. – Health-e News

‘They are needed in Alexandra almost daily’