Emergency and Medical Services (EMS) has been without radio communication for over two weeks yet management says they have not been aware of the problem.
Harry Orleyn, EMS acting head in the Port Elizabeth Metro, said he is not aware that their communication devices are out of order.
Emergency and Medical Services (EMS) has been without radio communication for over two weeks yet management says they have not been aware of the problem.
Harry Orleyn, EMS acting head in the Port Elizabeth Metro, said he is not aware that their communication devices are out of order.
“Oh! Is that so? I’ll look into it immediately,” he told Grocott’s Mail on Monday. EMS in the Port Elizabeth Metro region is responsible for rendering an ambulance service to residents throughout the Cacadu district and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
The Grahamstown EMS office, which is situated near Fort England Hospital, reports directly to the regional office in Port Elizabeth.
An anonymous EMS source says they have been without radio communication for longer than two weeks. “As a result workers get accused of dodging duties when their cellphones run out of battery power or are engaged,” alleged the source adding that there has also been a shortage of oxygen and uniforms in the PE Metro.
“Workers went on a three-day picketing recently because of the rife corruption in the PE Metro management,” explained the source.
“Bhisho must fire them for mismanagement and managers should be charged for lost resources.” National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) regional chairperson Nomvuyo Norman confirmed that members of her union have indeed protested against mismanagement.
She says the PE Metro management have not been filling funded posts or effectively running employee programmes.
“Ambulances are there but there are not enough practitioners and had this been not the case about 200 deaths could be saved in December alone,” she argued.
“The manager is autocratic and lacks transparency. There are a lot of coloured guys who are given top posts,” she said, implying that the manager, Anslie Du Plessis’ own ethnicity has lead to nepotism.
Norman accused the management of appointing people in management positions even though the doctor had said they can only do light jobs.
“There are only few blacks who are hired in management positions, it’s windowdressing.” Orleyn said the protest did not disrupt the services of his company as only off-duty workers took part in the picketing.
“I’m quite aware of the issues which they are raising but they have not come up with evidence to support their allegations,” he added.
He said that until such time when the evidence is brought forward the allegations will not be investigated. Norman asserted allowances and benefits are not paid to workers and when EMS vehicles go missing the case does not make it past the investigation phase.
He accused coloured employees of being guilty of losing company vehicles and getting away with it. However, Orleyn said he was not aware of any resources going missing in his company.
He added that if vehicles go missing it is the responsibility of Fleet Africa to take the necessary steps. Norman added that the next step is for the trade union to inform communities about its programme of action.
"As much as we are involved in this struggle we also want to negotiate with the management in favour of service delivery,” she said, adding that they have already written to the provincial health department about their grievances.
She threatened mass action should the department’s response be not sympathetic to their plight and complained that “we haven’t had a confirmation of receipt for our correspondence.
We want the HOD [of the health department]to say something to us,” Norman demanded. Grocott’s Mail reported last month that there had been no radio communication at EMS for almost three weeks and that practitioners used their personal cellphones to communicate with the control room.
This means that ambulance practitioners struggle to report to the office about their whereabouts, the condition of the vehicle or even ask for back-up.
Meanwhile, health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the department has not received the correspondence.
He said Nehawu must send its written complaints to the departmental head. He refused to comment on the shortages or resources on the grounds that this was not the department’s competency but rather that of Fleet Africa which, he said, is contracted by the department to supply ambulances that are “in good condition”.
