Masego Mafata, GroundUp
The Gauteng Department of Health has received mixed reactions to it taking over ambulance services.
A provincial service ambulance outside the Nasrec quarantine and isolation site on July 03, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Dino Lloyd)
The City of Johannesburg’s fleet of ambulances has decreased from 100 to 40 since the province began taking over ambulances last year.
And as Gauteng battles in the midst of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, the remaining ambulances were suspended two weeks ago, causing more strain on the service.
The remaining 40 were suspended because the City cannot provide ambulance services without a licence to operate, said spokesperson of the City’s Emergency Management Services, Robert Mulaudzi. Part of the provincialisation process requires municipalities to apply for a separate licence, should they wish to continue providing ambulance services alongside the provincial government, he said.