1. It is not a policy requirement to allocate ambulances to hospitals. Ambulances are allocated to EMS stations which are either stand-alone or co-located in hospitals, clinics, and other public facilities. The allocation is organized according to what is practically achievable within the budget allocation. The focus is on ensuring that these ambulances are accessible and respond on time when they are needed. Nationally, of the 483 public EMS Stations, 365 (76%) of are co-located at hospitals and clinics. The breakdown of EMS Stations per province is as follows:
PROVINCE |
Total No. of Stations |
No. of Stations Stand Alone |
No. of Stations at Hospitals |
No. of Stations located at Clinics |
No. of Stations located at other sites |
Eastern Cape |
85 |
14 |
48 |
16 |
7 |
Free State |
59 |
2 |
26 |
27 |
4 |
Gauteng |
57 |
6 |
21 |
23 |
7 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
71 |
22 |
26 |
19 |
4 |
Limpopo |
57 |
10 |
26 |
18 |
3 |
Mpumalanga |
37 |
7 |
16 |
5 |
9 |
North West |
20 |
1 |
10 |
6 |
3 |
Northern Cape |
48 |
4 |
8 |
36 |
0 |
Western Cape |
49 |
12 |
25 |
9 |
3 |
TOTAL |
483 |
78 |
206 |
159 |
40 |
PERCENTAGE |
100 |
16 |
43 |
33 |
8 |
Other sites: Fire Stations, Local Govt Offices, SAPS |
2. Access of ambulances to hospitals including emergency responses within the community are subject to demand and availability of ambulances at the time required. All calls, when received, are prioritized according to patient acuity needs, triaged and dispatched to the first available ambulance. This prioritization includes interfacility transfers.
END.