GEORGE NEWS - The shortage of provincial ambulances (Metro EMS) in George can't simply be fixed by getting more ambulances. 

The fact of the matter is that for every ambulance they need nine staff members 24/7, every day of the year. And with the recent national health budget cuts, this is not going to happen anytime soon.

"Thus, increasing the number of ambulances in an area requires an increase in staff – which is simply not possible with the current budget," said Byron la Hoe, the assistant director of communication for the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.

Currently, George only has three provincial ambulances to service the city, and in the rest of the country the situation is no different. The shortage in emergency medical services (EMS) is a nationwide issue.

National norms provide one ambulance for 10 000 people. If one considers the population of George, it would imply almost 16 ambulances, which, according to La Hoe, is virtually impossible considering the current economic climate.

The entry-level salary of an emergency care officer is about R156 000 per year.

This is a perennial problem considering the growing population and burden of disease and is not restricted to emergency medical services alone. It is thus unlikely that the shortage of EMS staff will be addressed in the short to medium term.

"In the interim, EMS is exploring alternative models of service delivery to see if we can increase the services/coverage to an area without an increase in resources.

"This will require creativity and collaboration with the communities and our health stakeholders and we remain committed to this goal," said La Hoe.

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