BULAWAYO has been hit by an ambulance shortage, a move that could impact negatively on the city’s health delivery services.
This came out of a Bulawayo City Council (BCC) internal
audit which revealed that the city is operating at 40 percent of its full
establishment with six operational ambulances out of a required 15.
The audit further revealed that the unit is operating with
just 62 staff members instead of the required 108, a shortage that is further
affecting emergency services in the city.
“We noted that the division is operating with a fleet of
six operational ambulances out of an establishment of 15 to cater for clientele
demand. This translates to 40 percent of the full establishment. The current
operational ambulances are grossly inadequate considering the average daily
calls of 45 to 50. Most ambulance crew members responding to our survey and
interviews reported that due to a lack of ambulances and a shortage of human
resources, there is an increase in workload which is now managed by few
ambulance personnel manning the city,” reads part of the audit report.
The audit noted that the shortage leads to inevitable
ambulance deployment problems, which meant the service’s reaction time is now
beyond the stipulated 10 minutes.
“The problems arise when the demand for ambulances
increases for various reasons. Due to the gross shortage, the section must
respond within the stipulated standard procedure time of 10 minutes. The
available ambulances cannot effectively service areas without compromising the
response time, leading to some emergency calls being left unattended for hours,
often leading to the loss of lives and revenue losses to the city as some
patients then opt to seek alternative ambulance services,” reads the report.
Interviews conducted with the operational ambulance staff
by the audit department also revealed that the personnel was overwhelmed and
cannot meet the demand for ambulance services
“Discussions with senior ambulance personnel revealed that
they cannot recruit operational staff because they currently operate with only
six ambulances. As a result, inefficiencies among the staff members may be
encountered, and failure to achieve operational objectives,” reads the report.
The audit also noted that some of the six operational
ambulances are operating without the essential equipment such as patient
monitors, defibrillators, medication bags, rescue splints, bandages and bag
value masks.
“Failure by ambulances personnel to perform laid down
standards and procedures is a violation of the standard set by the Allied
Health Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe. The division on facilitates
transportation to healthcare facilities excluding pre-hospital patient care,”
reads the report.
As part of measures suggested to resolve the crisis within
the city’s ambulance services, the audit recommended the purchase of an
additional nine fully equipped ambulances together with the appointment of
additional emergency medical services personnel. Sunday News
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