… _Premier, MEC admit old fleet cost lives — Bolata clinic 24hr service still on hold_
By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA — Free State EMS crews have no excuse to arrive late anymore. That was the blunt message from Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi as the department unveiled 76 new ambulances — 21 for Thabo Mofutsanyana District and six for QwaQwa — at Bolata Clinic on Wednesday, 07 October.
Mahlatsi said the province was finally winning its long-running battle against an ambulance shortage that left residents dying while waiting for help.
“We have been battling a shortage that caused officials to arrive late, and in some instances too late, where people lost their lives,” Mahlatsi said.
He said the remaining fleet was old and constantly breaking down, making emergency work “very difficult and challenging.”
Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, who joined Mahlatsi for the handover at Bolata Clinic, said the new fleet would change life in QwaQwa.
“We have heard the concerns of residents about the shortage of ambulances. I am extremely happy that today the Department of Health has managed to assist and our people will now receive the services they so desperately deserve,” said Letsoha-Mathae.
The new ambulances are expected to speed up response times and ease pressure on hospitals.
However, the long-promised 24-hour service at Bolata Clinic remains on hold.
Mahlatsi said operational issues — including critical staff shortages and the lack of a backup generator — must be fixed first.
“Shortage of staff in particular for this facility is a big challenge to be addressed so that this clinic can provide 24-hour services to our people, and a generator is also a matter to be attended to,” he said.
The clinic was built to decongest Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital and Elizabeth Ross Hospital, which are overwhelmed by patient numbers.
For now, residents get the ambulances. The 24-hour clinic — they will have to wait a little longer.
