NETCARE 911 is discouraging and condemning acts of prank calling solely because this is a waste of time and resources spent could have been utilised to save a life.
Athlenda Mathe, media liaison officer for Netcare 911, said the organisation would like to make the public aware that paramedics put their lives at risk and the lives of people in life-threatening emergencies when they race to the scene of hoax emergencies.
She said when responding to prank calls, medical care to all citizens is compromised and people who desperately need assistance from paramedics will have to wait longer for a response, and many may lose their lives because paramedics take longer to get to the scene to assist them in life-threatening situations.
“Our duty as a medical service is to provide the best pre-hospital medical care possible. We would really like to make a call to citizens to refrain from taking part in any hoax emergency calls,” said Mathe.
Parents are also advised to educate their children on the dangers of taking part in prank calling.
