AMBULANCES IN FAVOUR OF NEW GOVT CARS

MBABANE – Government has halted the purchasing of new vehicles in favour of ambulances.

The Phil Mnisi – led Royal Commission had recommended that government should procure specific vehicles as an entitlement for Cabinet ministers.
However, it has been gathered that Cabinet resolved that ambulances were a priority for the country.

In a press statement, government reiterated its stance on the November 22, 2018 statement, which highlighted austerity measures aimed at enhancing fiscal prudence and controls, which stated that no new vehicles would be bought for Cabinet in the interim as it intensified efforts to revive the economy.

“The prime minister, deputy prime minister and Cabinet ministers will continue to use vehicles from the existing government pool and no attempt is being made to purchase new vehicles. Government remains committed to reducing unnecessary expenditure to achieve sustainable economic growth,” reads in part the press statement.

Confirming that new ambulances would soon be availed was Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi, who said her ministry had been given a go-ahead by the Ministry of Finance to procure new ambulances.
This is an exercise that had not been executed during the tenure of the 10th Parliament.

An ambulance is a motor vehicle that is used to ferry people to hospital in times of emergencies.
Nkosi confirmed that her ministry would be securing new ambulances in the next few weeks. The minister said their request was already approved and they were waiting for quotations of the emergency vehicles.

Price

She could not be definite of the number of vehicles to be bought, as she said the price range of the vehicles would determine what they could afford.  “If our resources are enough, we can get five EPR (Emergency Preparedness and Response Department) ambulances and one per health centre and clinic; but for now that is likely not to be possible,” Nkosi said.

Also, the minister of Finance, confirmed that government was to purchase new ambulances.
However, he was not certain of the number of vehicles to be procured for now.

The need for new ambulances emanates from the fact that the country, which has a population of over one million people, only has 12 functioning ambulances.
This is because about 20 ambulances are parked at the Central Transport Administration (CTA) garage where they were taken for repairs. The last fleet of emergency vehicles was received by the Ministry of Health when the country purchased motor vehicles in 2013, which means the service warrant had expired.
Also, the ministry had to stop renting five vehicles which were used to offer first aid assistance to the citizenry as they were expensive for government. The ambulances were rented at E1 800 each per day for almost a year.

Rented

The cars were being rented at this rate since last year, just before the Golden Jubilee Celebrations, which marked the 50th independence of the country and also the birth of His Majesty King Mswati III.

The five cars were Ford Rangers, double cabs and they were fuelled with diesel. They were rented specifically for the EPR, also known as Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It is a department within the Ministry of Health that coordinates and delivers pre-hospital medicine, epidemic preparedness and response and disaster risk management for health to victims of sudden and serious illness or injury.

The EPR system depends on the availability and coordination of many different elements, ranging from an informed public capable of recognising medical emergencies to an efficient toll free-line (977), fully equipped Advanced Life Support Ambulances, Skilled Personnel and a network of trauma centres capable of providing highly specialised care to the seriously ill or injured.

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