GP Health MEC visits Midrand's EMS Centre to assess festive season readiness

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited the Gauteng Emergency Medical Operation Centre in Midrand on Tuesday to assess the efficiency of operations since the beginning of the festive season

Earlier in December, the MEC addressed the media on the provincial Health Departments' state of preparedness for the festive season.

She highlighted that operational vehicles and medical staff have been bolstered to manage an influx of cases during this period.

The acting EMS chief director, Ruben Ruiters, says this year has recorded increased cases compared to last year.

Meanwhile, Nkomo-Ralehoko says the operation centre has helped to improve emergency response to calls.

"People always complain about our response and I think you can see now that there is an improvement because we had to capacitate the team. But we had to buy new ambulances but again, we had to make sure that there are doctors' insights including the diversion policy that we didn't have."

GAUTENG HEALTH DIVIDED INTO FOUR HOSPITALS - MEC

Nkomo-Ralehoko says the province has been divided into four medical clusters to provide continued care to patients this festive season.

The clustered hospitals will help in cases when a nearby hospital is overburdened, she adds.

Nkomo-Ralehoko also says the department has also clustered senior officials to ensure the smooth running of operations throughout the festive season.

"Not only because it’s the festive season but on daily basis, including the issues of maintenance of our hospitals because sometimes that’s another issue that hampers us in terms of the work.

“If we are not maintaining them even tomorrow, we're going to open some of the wards because we want to make sure that even the level of our hospitals, level of our wards. [The] little that we have, we are using it so citizens can see the value of their money."