Accident victims turned away from hospital by staff
ER24 paramedics were placed in a predicament this afternoon at 3pm. We attended to a minibus taxi which had been involved in an accident on the Inkhosi Albert Luthuli Highway (M4 South) just after the Quality Street offramp. The driver of the taxi lost control after his back tyre came off causing the taxi to flip over onto it’s side at speed, before grinding to a hault. ER24 paramedics stabilised the injured and transported 6 patients (4 women, 2 men – black) from the taxi through to Wentworth Provincial Hospital. They had sustained suspected neck and back injuries.
It is protocol for ambulance companies to phone ahead and update a hospital when we are bringing in mass casualties, in order to allow the staff to prepare themselves. When the ER24 Dispatch Centre in Durban contacted Wentworth hospital, they were told not to bring the patients there. Despite the fact that the hospital is approximately 2km from the accident site, and the closest most appropriate medical facility, the patients were turned away. Doctor Ramnath spoke to ER24 and advised that she did not have enough staff to cope with the patients. Unfortunately ER24 had no alternative but to take the patients to Wentworth and hand the patients over to the skeleton staff. We are faced with a “Catch 22” situation in that they are understaffed, however, so are the other government hospitals and the same response would be given there.
If the patient is critical and in danger of dying, we will not hesitate to stay and assist the doctors and nurses in the government hospital, to stabilise that patient. Again, we cannot just standby and allow people to die as a result of the strike action. Yesterday morning, there was allegedly only 1 junior nurse in the King Edward VIII hospital ICU, for 8 patients. ICU protocols are that there should be one nurse for every patient. At 25% staff capacity, there is no way that the hospital can cope with the amount of patients that they have.
This is a true crisis and we hope that the government and union workers can reach a resolution quickly, in the best interests of the patients and to ensure that no more lives are lost as a result of the strike.
It is protocol for ambulance companies to phone ahead and update a hospital when we are bringing in mass casualties, in order to allow the staff to prepare themselves. When the ER24 Dispatch Centre in Durban contacted Wentworth hospital, they were told not to bring the patients there. Despite the fact that the hospital is approximately 2km from the accident site, and the closest most appropriate medical facility, the patients were turned away. Doctor Ramnath spoke to ER24 and advised that she did not have enough staff to cope with the patients. Unfortunately ER24 had no alternative but to take the patients to Wentworth and hand the patients over to the skeleton staff. We are faced with a “Catch 22” situation in that they are understaffed, however, so are the other government hospitals and the same response would be given there.
If the patient is critical and in danger of dying, we will not hesitate to stay and assist the doctors and nurses in the government hospital, to stabilise that patient. Again, we cannot just standby and allow people to die as a result of the strike action. Yesterday morning, there was allegedly only 1 junior nurse in the King Edward VIII hospital ICU, for 8 patients. ICU protocols are that there should be one nurse for every patient. At 25% staff capacity, there is no way that the hospital can cope with the amount of patients that they have.
This is a true crisis and we hope that the government and union workers can reach a resolution quickly, in the best interests of the patients and to ensure that no more lives are lost as a result of the strike.
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