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Durban ambulances in limbo
10/06/2007 13:42 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Ambulance services in Durban and Pietermaritzburg were still not operating on Sunday due to the ongoing public sector strike, the KwaZulu Natal health department said.
This is despite an announcement that striking health workers would be dismissed by health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Saturday.
KwaZulu Natal health department spokesperson Leon Mbangwa said while ambulance personnel had returned to work in the rest of the province, disruptions to services in the two major cities continued.
He said emergency services personnel were also categorised as essential workers and could also face dismissal for their participation in the ongoing strike.
Essential workers - including doctors, nurses, immigration officers and police - were prohibited from participating in industrial action under the Labour Relations Act.
Meanwhile, private ambulance services were taking strain due to the lack of emergency and hospital personnel in the public sector.
"It has been extremely hectic for our us as there were too many emergencies to attend to over the weekend," said Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha.
"We hope things will soon return to normal - whilst we are sympathetic with the workers, we do not want to see innocent people dying on the streets because of a lack of essential services."
He said a four-month-old baby with serious injuries had no place to go for emergency treatment on Saturday due to the strike.
The baby had to be driven from Durban to a private hospital in Pietermaritzburg - since the public hospitals were closed and the private hospitals had no space available.
The baby is now in a stable condition.
- SAPA
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