Baby girl dies at petrol station

Emergency services company Netcare911  issued a press release following claims by a distressed community member accusing paramedics of callousness after a baby died at a William Nicol petrol station yesterday afternoon.

The call was placed to 702’s Xolani Gwala during the afternoon show. The emotional caller claimed that paramedics refused to transport the one-year-old to a clinic after she was declared dead on the scene following resuscitation efforts. The woman described the efforts of the child’s Parents and others on the scene to persuade the paramedics to transport the baby girl to Sandton Clinic, and said that the distraught parents eventuall took the child to the clinic in their own car.

The call prompted extensive responses on Twitter, including one listener who defended the actions of the paramedics, tweeting; @gwalax “This woman talking putting paramedics in a negative light doesn’t know the FACTS. Fact is the paramedics tried their best to resus that baby. When it’s a child or baby we work for as long as possible to attempt resuscitation. As the lady said – the baby was declared dead. ANd unfortunately the law PROHIBITS ambulances from transporting dead bodies. And when a paediatric is involved, foul play is always a consideration and due process must be followed. This process includes the SAPS coming to the scene, conducting a full investigation and it become their duty to remove the body. It is unfortunate for the baby to have died, BUT the paramedics did NOTHING wrong. Understandable from emotive perspective, BUT we must respect that Emergency Services have PROTOCOLS that must be followed.”

Netcare 911’s Chief Operations Officer Craig Grindell confirmed that paramedics had responded to a call at 4.44pm, reporting a little girl who was not breathing, and rushed to the scene where they commenced resuscitation efforts. Grindell stated that the paramedics on the scene unfortunately decided that, after significant deliberation, during which resuscitative efforts continued, the baby was declared dead. Grindell further said that the paramedics did take the girl and her family to Sandton Clinic, but efforts to save her life were unsuccessful.

According to Grindell, the circumstances under which ambulances may carry deceased patients vary, but in general ambulances are considered emergency vehicles and do not transport patients to the morgue.