Criminals target on-duty paramedics

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Durban - Four paramedics were attacked on Wednesday in Durban and Johannesburg. In KwaMashu, a paramedic was robbed of his belongings while he was attending to a patient. ER24 spokesman, Werner Vermaak, said two paramedics attended to an emergency call at a doctor’s room for a patient who had chest pain. “They assessed the patient and loaded the patient into the ambulance. One of the paramedics returned to the doctor’s rooms with the wheelchair when people started shouting that the other paramedic was being assaulted outside,” he said.

Vermaak said the paramedic rushed outside to find that his colleague was in deep shock. He said six men ripped the paramedic’s pockets open and took all of his money. The group then went into the vehicle and took the paramedics’ cellphones and bags.

“They also grabbed the Emergency Vehicle Dispatch Unit and ripped it out of the ambulance dashboard.”

Despite this, they were still able to treat the patient and made their way to the Mayville police station, where they opened a case of assault and robbery.

Derrick Banks, ER24’s acting Durban manager, said he received the information through the call radio, and had talked to the paramedics, who were offered trauma counselling after the incident.

Speaking about the incident, Banks said: “I was angry. We have taken an oath to treat people.”

He said he also felt relief as his colleagues were not injured during the incident.

He said such an incident could end up affecting the paramedics’ response time as they would first have to go to a police station before they went to an emergency scene.

Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala confirmed the Durban incident.

In Johannesburg, Vermaak said a rescue ambulance noticed a vehicle driving into oncoming traffic. They approached the car when a man jumped out and threatened them with a knife.

They used Emergency Medical Support during Hostile Environments training and were able to defend themselves while waiting for police to arrive.

Police subsequently arrested the man.

Daily News