"We can't sit and watch someone die. We have to help." The words of a paramedic from non-profit organisation St John Ambulance reflect the dilemma of volunteers, nurses, police officers and members of the public who have stepped in to help patients as the emergency workers' strike drags on into its second week.
"We can't sit and watch someone die. We have to help." The words of a paramedic from non-profit organisation St John Ambulance reflect the dilemma of volunteers, nurses, police officers and members of the public who have stepped in to help patients as the emergency workers' strike drags on into its second week.
Craig Visagie, a paramedic at St John Ambulance, said they had been kept busy in the past two weeks, transporting patients – some of whom were in such pain that they were unable to walk. "We are not playing a major role because of our limited resources, but we assist where we can," Visagie said.
"We can't sit and watch someone die. We have to help. It is clear how vital is the role of emergency services in our areas – their non-operation is a great loss to the community," he said.
Centre Manager Mario Viljoen said it was not easy for the organisation, with its limited resources, but they were trying their best. "We only have one team and one vehicle, we assist in emergency cases. People have been asking us to help. For example, we transported an XDR patient from Themba hospital to Majorie Hospital in Port Alfred. Those are extreme cases that need to be attended to – you can't just leave them there," Viljoen said.
The team had also attended to accidents in the area. Primary healthcare clinics in Grahamstown were also under additional pressure. A nurse who asked not to be named told Grocott's Mail on Monday that in their clinic they had an old woman who had a fractured hip and needed a stretcher, but they could not help her.
"It is frustrating to see our people in such a situation and there is nothing we can do. We deal with patients who have multi-drug-resistant TB, some have renal failure and they need to be transported… we actually don't know what is going on," she said.
The South African Police Services have also been helping transport patients in Grahamstown during the strike. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed this week that they had been assisting in crime-related cases. "This has put immense pressure on policing. Much as we would like to help, sometimes it is physically not possible," Govender said.
The health department subcontracted private ambulance services to meet the demand. Meanwhile the strikers said they expected to return to work today, provided the department of health signed an agreement to pay all outstanding benefits.
Paramedics from the Eastern Cape Department of Health's Emergency Medical and Rescue Services downed tools on Tuesday because of they hadn't been paid money in terms of the department's Performance Management Development System (PMDS), promised to healthcare workers in 2007.
Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said they were shocked by the number of wildcat strikes by healthcare workers. Emergency services workers are not allowed to strike, as they provide essential services, he said.
Yesterday Nehawu shop steward in Grahamstown, Mbuleli Gongqa, said workers were happy with the final agreement with the health department. "But they have made it clear they want it to be signed by the employer. We are hoping tomorrow we will be back in operation," Gongqa said.
Manana said they were grateful to St John for stepping in. "We appreciate their assistance in this time when the department is under pressure," he said. He said on Wednesday they had no idea when the strike would end. Manana said staff had been paid from April 2012 to date and they had already paid R18.1 million.
