Ambulance service needs intensive care

A MAN who was injured in a quad-bike accident at Swakopmund on Sunday had to wait for nearly an hour before the Swakopmund State hospital responded – not with an ambulance, but with a TB response vehicle.

According to witnesses travelling from Long Beach to Swakopmund on Sunday evening, the young man fell off a quad bike near the Swakop River bridge. Traffic officers who arrived at the scene only a minute after the accident radioed the State ambulance service but there was no response.One of the bystanders also called for an ambulance, and after about 40 minutes an “emergency” vehicle was sent – “a TB response double-cab bakkie; no ambulance”, a witness told The Namibian.”We were waiting for 40 minutes before someone came.We were afraid that the boy may have damaged his neck or back, because the quad fell on top of him,” the witness said.When the TB vehicle arrived with a nurse and a driver, there were no signs of a stretcher, only a couple of bandages and plasters, the witness said.”She could not make a decision whether to move the injured boy or not,” it was claimed to The Namibian.”ISOS was eventually contacted, and they were there within seven minutes to take the boy to hospital.”Aubry Oosthuizen of ISOS told The Namibian on enquiry that the boy’s injuries were not too serious, and that he was discharged from hospital soon afterwards.Contacted for comment, the Regional Director of Health and Social Services, Christencia Thataone, admitted that there were no State ambulances in running condition at Swakopmund at present.She said she hoped an ambulance would be up and running again by today.She said the management of the local State Hospital had been informed of two alternative vehicles, a minibus and bakkie, that could be used in emergencies over the long weekend.The nurse and driver were however not aware of these arrangements, and were therefore forced to use the TB response vehicle, according to her.Thataone said the bakkie did not have enough space to carry a stretcher, but that an emergency kit was in place.Traffic officers who arrived at the scene only a minute after the accident radioed the State ambulance service but there was no response.One of the bystanders also called for an ambulance, and after about 40 minutes an “emergency” vehicle was sent – “a TB response double-cab bakkie; no ambulance”, a witness told The Namibian.”We were waiting for 40 minutes before someone came.We were afraid that the boy may have damaged his neck or back, because the quad fell on top of him,” the witness said.When the TB vehicle arrived with a nurse and a driver, there were no signs of a stretcher, only a couple of bandages and plasters, the witness said.”She could not make a decision whether to move the injured boy or not,” it was claimed to The Namibian.”ISOS was eventually contacted, and they were there within seven minutes to take the boy to hospital.”Aubry Oosthuizen of ISOS told The Namibian on enquiry that the boy’s injuries were not too serious, and that he was discharged from hospital soon afterwards.Contacted for comment, the Regional Director of Health and Social Services, Christencia Thataone, admitted that there were no State ambulances in running condition at Swakopmund at present.She said she hoped an ambulance would be up and running again by today.She said the management of the local State Hospital had been informed of two alternative vehicles, a minibus and bakkie, that could be used in emergencies over the long weekend.The nurse and driver were however not aware of these arrangements, and were therefore forced to use the TB response vehicle, according to her.Thataone said the bakkie did not have enough space to carry a stretcher, but that an emergency kit was in place.