1. The National Department of Health, together with the Provincial Health Departments have embarked on a number of intervention strategies to help curb the ongoing attacks on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Workforce. To this end we have established a National EMS Safety Forum and have since developed a National EMS Safety Guideline for all provinces to implement based on their specific needs (Annexure A). These comprehensive guidelines have four main areas, namely Focus on Staff, Community, Technology and Management. The National Department of Health is also in the process of introducing a 2-day course aimed addressing increasing safety awareness to enhance EMS personnel skills in identifying hostile environments, dealing with such situations, undertake evasive action and protection of the patient/s.
2. Yes. The National Department of Health has engaged with the South African Police Services (SAPS), National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS), to highlight the ongoing attacks on EMS workforce and to escalate the matter with the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS Cluster), with recommendation to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to deal with perpetrators more stringently. As a result, the NatJOINTS has issued a NatJOINTS Instruction to SAPS Provincial Commissioners to work closely with Provincial EMS managers. The aim of the collaboration is to provide the necessary security services to EMS workforce and to prioritise all cases reported.
In addition, this matter has been carefully deliberated upon by the National Health Council and a decision was taken to have Izimbizos within the affected communities in order to create awareness and to advocate for the support of EMS by the communities. Should Izimbizos in the affected areas fail, then EMS would be forced to withdraw services from danger areas to avert loss of life or injury.
Intervention strategies at both National and Provincial levels, but are not limited to, are listed below:
Intervention strategies by the EMS Managers and Senior Officials of the Provincial Health Departments include:
Interaction with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, EMS Management and the Safety and Security Cluster continues, to ensure that:
3. I, as the Minister of Health, along with Deputy Minister of Health, Dr J Phaahla and senior managers of the National Department of Health have made several statements in this regard in the past and will continue to denounce such attacks going forward. It must be noted that there are a number of interventions implemented at multiple levels of government, yet, the attacks continue. No matter what we do, it is never enough, but we must continue to try, as we deal with this largely socioeconomic challenge. The National Department of Health together with our sector departments and provincial counterparts will continue to look for additional ways to address this serious challenge.
END.