Gauteng Department of Health to deliver ambulance service themselves
JOBURG – Ward 70's councillor Caleb Finn advised that residents should not be alarmed to find different ambulances servicing their areas. The process is being monitored to make sure that all emergency calls will be serviced.
Ward 70’s councillor Caleb Finn said in a released statement that the Gauteng Department of Health is ultimately responsible for the provision of ambulance services. For many years, an agreement has been in place delegating this service to the City of Johannesburg. The Gauteng Department of Health has begun the process of provincialising ambulance services in Johannesburg, in other words choosing to deliver the service themselves.
“While official communication regarding this matter will hopefully be communicated in the near future, it is important that as a community we are aware of this matter. As of 2 January 2020, Gauteng EMS began servicing emergency medical calls within the City of Johannesburg area. This is a transitional process and as such the two services will be responding to medical emergencies that are received at their respective control centres,” said Finn.
Finn added that the City of Johannesburg EMS will continue to provide ambulance services for the foreseeable future but in the long term, these will be more linked to fire and rescue-related medical emergencies.
The following are two free emergency numbers that are linked to the provision of state ambulance services in South Africa:
- Landline: 10177
- Cell Phone: 112
“Residents dialing these numbers will either reach the Gauteng EMS or the Joburg EMS control centres, it will progressively be more directed to Gauteng EMS for medical emergencies,” explained Finn.
The direct numbers which are charged at standard rates for these two control centres are:
- Joburg EMS 011 375 5911
- Gauteng EMS 011 564 2211 / 2210
“Calling the direct numbers will reduce the time it takes to reach them, especially from a cell phone. Cell phone companies provide the 112 re-routing centres which assist in linking you to the appropriate emergency service but it sometimes takes a long time to reach an operator. Telkom subscribers are provided with an automated 112 service which allows you to select the type of emergency service you require and this links you to the appropriate one based on your location which is much quicker,” explained Finn.
Finn advised that residents should not be alarmed to find different ambulances servicing their areas. The process is being monitored to make sure that all emergency calls will be serviced.
Below is an emergency numbers list clearly providing the most prominent emergency numbers:
Police emergency
Dial 10111 to contact a national call centre that can assign a patrol vehicle to attend to a crime incident.
Fire and ambulance
Dial 10177
Cell phone networks
Dial 112 from any cell phone to be connected to a 24-hour emergency-service operator. This is a free call
Medical emergency
Dial 082 911 to connect to Netcare 911’s 24-hour operations centre, or 084 124 for ER24. Both are private emergency medical services. The telephone code is +27 11, or 011 from a landline.
“I am hopeful that the additional resources will assist in speeding up response to medical emergencies, especially for those who can’t afford private healthcare services,” concluded Finn.
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