Question NW2221 to the Minister of Health
17 June 2022 - NW2221
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the Minister of Health
(a) What are the reasons that the Warmbad Hospital in the Bela Bela Local Municipality in Limpopo (i) is without any medication and only gives out Panados to patients and (ii) has shortage of ambulances and (b) on what date will additional ambulances be provided to the hospital by his department?
Reply:
a) (i) Warmbad Hospital has medication available and patients have been issued with medication, for scripts issued by the medical officers in the hospital, as follows:
- April 2022: 1,560 scripts dispensed with a value of R780,000.50. 30 % of these scripts had Panado as one of the medicine items, with other items, dispensed
- May 2022: 1,469 scripts dispensed with a value of R678,000.90. 27 % of these scripts had Panado as one of the medicine items, with other items, dispensed
(ii) Ambulances operate in Limpopo from 56 ambulance stations, providing a primary emergency response to communities. Bela-Bela Local Municiplaity is served by two EMS stations namely Warmbad & Pienaarsrivier.
Warmbad EMS Station has five ambulances, with three crewed ambulances per shift. Pienaarsrivier has three ambulances, with two crewed ambulances per shift. Pienaarsrivier received a new ambulanced in April 2022. The province is in the process of procuring another 28 ambulances, that would be distributed based on needs, determined by call volumes. The Ambulances are provided to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Stations in the districts as they are responsible for EMS and not directly to the hospital.
b) Refer to response to (a)(ii) above.
END.