Durban — The IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature has called on Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane to clarify the responsibilities of paramedics when out on a call.
This comes after two paramedics allegedly refused to help and treat a woman that was suffering from heart problems.
In a statement on Monday, IFP spokesperson on health Ncamisile Nkwanyana said the IFP in the KZN legislature called for urgent action against heartless paramedics who allegedly left a sick patient to fend for herself in uMlazi.
Nkwanyana said that according to the information gathered from family members of Thembeka Qwabe, 38, it is alleged that she was in excruciating pain and in a critical condition due to heart complications. However, when the paramedics arrived, they refused to carry her up a flight of steps to the ambulance.
The paramedics claimed this was not their responsibility, and that the family should carry Qwabe.
While the family tried to get assistance to carry their sick family member up the steps, the paramedics left - without offering any help - citing safety concerns, saying paramedics are being robbed and attacked by criminals.
“As the IFP, we fully appreciate that paramedics have the right to be safe while they work, however, there did not appear to be any imminent threat to their safety when they abandoned Qwabe,” Nkwanyana said.
She said that the IFP notes this type of behaviour – of healthcare practitioners failing to put patients’ needs first - is becoming a hallmark of the South African health sector, with many South Africans losing confidence in healthcare staff.
“We urge healthcare practitioners to change for the better. Being a paramedic is not a profession for the faint-hearted: it requires hard work, dedication, and a heart for patients,” Nkwanyana said.
She added that the IFP has - on numerous occasions - called upon the KZN Health Nomagugu Simelane, to inform the public of the department’s plans to keep paramedics safe, but their calls seem to fall on deaf ears.
“As the IFP, we, therefore, call on the MEC to provide clarity on the responsibilities of paramedics when out on a call. Surely, paramedics must be able to move a patient from their home to the ambulance? What would happen if a patient lived alone?” Nkwanyana said.
“If the paramedics sent to assist Qwabe are found to have neglected their duties, immediate action must be taken, to prevent other patients from being abandoned.
“We further call on the MEC to present a plan – with tangible solutions – to protect the paramedics and other service providers who have become soft targets for criminals,” Nkwanyana added.
Meanwhile, the EFF eThekwini region fighters will visit Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital on Monday after one of their ambulances left a patient in the street on Sunday night.
“This is why the EFF calls for all community clinics to operate for 24 hours so our people can be assisted easily,” the EFF in eThekwini said.
Earlier, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health said it was attending to the clinical needs of a patient who was allegedly abandoned by an ambulance in uMlazi on Sunday night.
The department said the patient was in the hospital and getting the requisite level of care.
“Meanwhile, the two paramedics implicated in the matter have been placed under immediate precautionary suspension, so as to allow an investigation to proceed without hindrance,” the department said.
The department said that it was alleged that after responding to a distress call, the paramedics refused to alight from an ambulance and walk down a stairway to reach the patient.
They allegedly said “it’s not our job to walk down the stairs” and demanded that the patient be brought up by her relatives instead, the department said.
It said that while neighbours were trying to carry the patient up the stairway, the paramedics allegedly accused them of being “too slow” and “wasting our time”, and left the scene.
The department said that the highly distressed patient was eventually transported to a nearby clinic with an e-hailing taxi service, and then subsequently transferred to the hospital by another Emergency Medical Services ambulance.
“The department is deeply disturbed by these allegations, as such actions are acutely opposed to emergency care providers’ main objectives,” the department said.
It said that these include conserving life; alleviation of suffering; promoting health; doing no harm; and encouraging the quality and equal availability of emergency medical care services.
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