KZN Health Department woes continue under the current leadership: "Health crisis: oxygen cylinders critically low" 25 July 2013 Release: immediate The Democratic Alliance is calling on KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo to urgently intervene on the deadly health crisis that has beset the province. This after a DA investigation discovered that there have been no deliveries of oxygen cylinders to Emergency Medical Care and Rescue Services (EMRS) bases throughout the province for the past two weeks after Dhlomo’s department opted not to renew the contract and failed to appoint a new service provider in turn. This is completely unacceptable and people’s lives are at stake. Last week local media reported on a woman in Verulam who passed away when she could not be resuscitated without oxygen. EMRS staffers who liaised with the DA said oxygen is vital for their profession and no trauma victim can be resuscitated without it. They told the DA that many are operating on reserves while some bases throughout the province have completely run out of stock. The DA is calling on Dhlomo to address this issue immediately by getting private ambulance services involved in the interim before any more lives are lost. Dhlomo must also be made to answer on what he is doing to turn this crisis around as soon as possible. For Enquiries: Sizwe Mchunu DA Leader in KZN 078 301 0942 Nelly Shamase DA Media Manager KZN 076 566 2130
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:00:18 +0000