Mila
Honorary Master
http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/Article.aspx?Id=3918&ShowId=1
Edited to fit.
My mouth hung open. How can you lie like that get caught out and your Guavament still keep you on the pay roll
Edited to fit.
A year ago we brought you a story about the state of our emergency medical services.
Last year we found that there was a severe shortage of staff and there was a real concern that our emergency services would not be ready for the World Cup.
It's now a year later and again we ask the same question: Will our Emergency Medical Services be ready? This question is especially pressing for more remote host cities. We visited Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Nelspruit.
. The real question though is: Will Nelspruit emergency services also be that prepared?'
Dr Duan Lemmer (General practitioner): 'The current capacity of the casualty units is struggling to deal with the local demand. If you deal with something major, like a stampede at a stadium where people will need definite treatment in terms of surgery and in terms of orthopaedic management, then we will definitely not be able to handle it as the situation stands now.'
Dr Duan Lemmer is general practitioner who works in both in private practice and for the State hospital in Nelspruit. He says there is a severe shortage of general medical staff at the provincial hospital.
Devi: 'In terms of specialised surgery, if there was a bus accident, what would happen?'
Dr Lemmer: 'We will be in trouble as the situation stands now. Rob Ferreira [hospital] has two qualified fulltime specialists, general practitioners employed by the hospital, and one orthopaedic surgeon. So, if you deal with a situation where you have four or five patients that will need emergency immediate surgery and the two surgeons are occupied with two other patients, we will be in trouble.'
Provincial ambulances and trained emergency ambulance personnel are also in very short supply in Nelspruit. Only three to four ambulances are available per shift and they are equipped to transport patients who are not critically ill.
Dr Lemmer: 'But if you get a couple of patients that will need what we call in medical terms an ICU ambulance, we will be in severe trouble. Usually, in my experience, there is only one ICU ambulance available.'
Yet, last week in a final inspection report issued by the Department of Health they indicated that in Nelspruit, apart from a few minor issues that still need to be resolved, they are ready to welcome the world.
[On screen] 'a number of challenges and gaps needing fine-tuning'However, where on earth will an additional 18 ambulances, 15 doctors, 14 paramedics, 75 EMS personnel, 60 first aiders and 21 nurses will come from? Certainly not from within the department.
The logical answer is to involve the private sector. In Nelspruit there are a number of private ambulance services and one private hospital. But to date no plans for co-operation have been communicated.
Dr Lemmer: 'As to a contingency plan as to what would happen if we today get an accident where there are a hundred people involved, none of that information has been communicated to the doctors as yet.'
In Port Elizabeth, home to the impressive Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, we found a similar situation.
Dave Gardener (CEO: Gardmed): 'We cannot believe that there are no contracts in place. For the Cricket [World Cup], way in advance deals were sorted out and signed and there's nothing concrete in place as far as I can see with any of the private services in South Africa.'
Dave Gardner runs a private ambulance service in PE, and represents private ambulance services on national level.
The whole of the Eastern Cape is currently supposed to have 240 ambulances. There are only 64 in service.
Dave: 'There is no ways the State can do it on their own. In Port Elizabeth they are well aware of that and we have had meetings with them, but we are just not going forward. There just seems to be a complete lack of management and decision making around it.'
Dave says the private services are more than willing to step in and help.
Devi: 'But they are not being asked to help. And this is something we came across time and time again. It seems as if there is a distinct lack of communication between government and the private sector.'
We contacted Netcare and they confirmed through their CEO that to date they also have no formal agreement with government to assist in case of major incidents.
However, FIFA has on numerous occasions indicated that they are happy with EMS preparations.
Dave: 'We spoke to... [a] FIFA delegate did come around about three... two or three months ago. And I did raise that question with them. The impression that I got was that the Metro or local provincial services had informed FIFA that everything was under control and that they had plans in place. But I know they certainly couldn't have had plans in place involving the private services because none of us has been involved. '
In Polokwane with its newly built Peter Mokaba Stadium the situation is desperate.
Man (Polokwane EMS): 'There is not enough personnel to start with and not enough vehicles and not enough equipment. People are dying and no one seems to be listening. We've been complaining about equipment, management knows about the problem, people are dying. '
This man who wished to remain anonymous works at the Polokwane Emergency Medical Services. He says many vehicles at the ambulance station are there just for show.
Man: 'All the vehicles were parked nicely in front of the buildings. And it's just to make it look like we've got enough resources to run the World Cup.'
Furthermore, of the 100 new ambulances bought in 2007, 80 have since gone missing. The Health Department has confirmed that an investigation is now underway.
Devi: 'We have also come across this document, which is addressed to the Limpopo Health Department in which a number of extremely serious allegations are made in terms of Emergency Medical Services.'
The allegations made by EMS personnel themselves are extremely disturbing.
We asked the acting head of the Health Department in Limpopo, Deliwe Nyatikazi about allegations of a lack of medical equipment.
Deliwe Nyatikazi (Acting Head: Limpopo Health Dept): 'That is not correct. What would be the use of taking out an ambulance to pick up an emergency when they cannot be able to deal with the emergency?'
Man: 'An emergency is not equipped well. There is no ECG monitors. Paramedics have to use their own stuff, their own equipment to monitor patients. Half the crews' equipment has been stolen or it is missing. We've got no oxygen regulators, we've got no saturation monitors, paramedics - some of them - don't have ventilators, so it is a big problem.'
The document also alleges that five new 4x4 ambulances have not been equipped and put into service.
Deliwe: 'In terms of that one, we actually have, it's only five ambulances that have recently been delivered. Already, they are fitted with everything except for the stretcher.'
We investigated the licence numbers of these vehicles and found that they were not bought recently, but that they were in fact purchased nearly 18 months ago.
Not allowed to film there, we nevertheless took a peek into the ambulances ourselves. They were not equipped at all, and in the back there were only a few hubcaps.
There is also an allegation that a multi-million rand control room at the new ambulance station is not operational.
Deliwe: 'When it comes to EMS we have made sure that indeed all our stations are operational. And for a station to be said to be 'operational' it means all systems functioning. So when I say they are operational I am meaning all systems are functioning.'
However, this is not quite true. Ambulances are currently despatched from a small control room in the State hospital. The control room at the new station is definitely not operational.
The contractor responsible for the new control room confirmed this. He said that he has not yet installed all the components because he has not received the necessary payments.
And with regard to readiness for 2010, we again came across the old refrain: no plan has been communicated to the people on the ground.
Man: 'I'm not aware of anything about 2010. Shift managers in the station are also not informed about any 2010 arrangements or emergency plans.'
Deliwe: 'We can't have a plan which is not communicated. So our plan is communicated to people. People need to know what's happening.'
We then asked if we could get a copy of this World Cup plan for Limpopo.
Deliwe: 'Yes, but it is in the office of the Premier. Like I am saying, there is a person responsible for 2010.'
But the office of the Premier also could not provide us with a plan.
However, the late Deputy Minister, Dr Sefularo, in a speech at an International Football Medicine Conference said that 'it gives us comfort to be able to say to you today that we are ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup'.
But this is not what we found on the ground. It seems that provincial Emergency Medical Services in the three cities we visited are not ready for an event such as the World Cup adequately.
However, if the private sector is involved, the situation could perhaps be salvaged.
Dave: 'For us it is quite simple, they must just tell us what the requirements are and we will tell them what we've got. And we will have to squeeze everything on match days and for the fan parks, but I am sure if we work together we could see it through.'
My mouth hung open. How can you lie like that get caught out and your Guavament still keep you on the pay roll