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Programme Director
Honourable Premier, Ms Winkie Direko
The Mayor of Matjhabeng, Mr S Leeuw
Honoured Guests
Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen

Today we attach yet another chapter in the history of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the Free State. This occasion that marks the official hand-over of Commuter or Patient Transport vehicles represent another milestone conquered in the path for health service delivery in the province.

Ladies and gentlemen, the role played by emergency vehicles such as ambulances in quality health service delivery cannot be over-emphasised. The service of these vehicles is almost always required in many emergency situations where there are either accidents on our roads or emergency health cases in our homes. The picture is much more clearer around holiday periods such as the one we are currently in during which statistics of accidents on our public roads shoot through the roof.

Our emergency vehicles cannot be able to attend to all emergency cases as well as non-emergency cases. It is for this reason that the Department has moved towards the direction of establishing the service of commuter transport system to supplement the EMS.

Motsamaisi wa mosebetsi, bomme le bontate, kajeno lena ha re fana ka makoloi ana a ditshebeletso tsa bophelo bo botle tseo e seng tsa tshohanyetso ke tla rata hore ho hlake hore phaphang e teng pakeng tsa makoloi ana le makoloi a ditshebeletso tsa bophelo bo botle tsa tshohanyetso jwalo ka di-ambulanse. Sepheo sa makoloi ana ao re a bonang mona ke ho tsamaisa bakudi bao maemo a bona e seng a tshohanyetso hoo ho hlokehang hore ba potlakisetswe dipetlele. Jwalo ka ho itlhalosa ke makoloi a ditshebeletso tsa bophelo bo botle tseo e seng tsa tshohanyetso.

Programme director, ladies and gentlemen, kindly allow me just to give a brief background regarding these Patient Transport vehicles.

Background:

The Department has purchased 35 vehicles from the company called Iveco and converted these vehicles into Patient Transport suitable for the transportation of non-emergency patients. The total purchase amount for these 35 vehicles is R6 100 000. The conversion amount was R1 200 000. Therefore, the Department spent a total amount of R7 300 000 on these vehicles.

Ditjeo tsena tse etsang R7 300 000 bakeng sa ho reka makoloi ana le ho a fetolela boemong ba ho tsamaisa bakudi bao e seng ba tshohanyetso ke ditjeo tseo di neng di hlokahala ho ntshetsa pele ponelopele ya lefapha ya ho aha setjhaba sa Free State se ikemetseng ebile se phetse hantle. Kantle le makoloi ana ha ho ka moo re ka phethahatsang ponelopele ena. Mosebetsi o mongata wa ho fihlisa bakudi dipetlele hore ba tsebe ho fumana bophelo bo botle o itshetlehile makoloing ana.

Ladies and gentlemen, these vehicles indeed play a critical role in quality health service delivery. The single cent we spent in their procurement is thus worth it. Furthermore, as the Department we have a draft equity plan whose objective is to ensure equal distribution of resources in the province so that finally all the people of the province should have a share in this quality health service delivery. Although this plan is still in draft form, its spirit is already being implemented. Therefore, in terms of the vehicles that we are today officially handing over to the Free State community the equitable distribution as proposed will be as follows:

* The Southern Free State Complex = 11 Vehicles
* The Northern Free State Complex = 12 Vehicles
* The Eastern Free State Complex = 12 Vehicles

Within the complexes the vehicles will be allocated to specific towns as follows:

Southern Complex: Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Thaba Nchu, Ladybrand, Tweespruit, Smithfield, Zastron, Jagersfontein, Springfontein, Bethulie, Reddersburg, Koffiefontein, Petrusburg, Wepener, Dewetsdorp,.

Northern Complex: Welkom, Henneman, Virginia, Theunissen, Hoopstad, Bultfontein, Kroonstadt, Winburg, Brandford, Sasolburg, Parys, Koppies, Heilbron, Vredefort, Wesselsbron, Bothaville, Hertzogville, Dealesville, Boshof, Viljoenskroon.

Eastern Complex: Bethlehem, Clocolan, Ficksburg, Frankfort, Harrismith, Lindley, Marquard, Qwa Qwa, Reitz, Senekal, Vrede, Villiers, Warden.

Motsamaisi wa mosebetsi, ka tsela ena makoloi ana a tla arolwa ka ho lekana bakeng sa dikarolo tse tharo tsa Free State e leng Borwa ba Free State, Leboya la Free State le Botjhabela ba Free State ho latela leano la Lefapha la karolelano e lekaneng ya disebediswa.

I must however emphasise that this is a preliminary or temporary distribution plan since the routes for these vehicles is still going to be decided. The decision on these routes might change the distribution plan slightly although the principle of equity will still maintain.

In order to ensure an effective management and operation of these vehicles Transport Control Officers will be identified in the districts to co-ordinate the bookings of patients with the EMS personnel who will be responsible for the driving of these vehicles. Each district will also identify safe pick-up points for the patients. All the information of the districts with regard to these matters will be collected and finalised by the end of May 2001.

Conclusion:

By way of conclusion, programme director, I will like also to point out that the private contractors' contracts expires at the end of July 2001 after the Department has taken a decision to provide this service directly. The EMS component of the Department will now run the service as it will no longer be contracted out for efficiency purposes.

Lefapha le ile la nka qeto ya hore tshebeletso ena ya makoloi ao e seng a tshohanyetso e sa hlole e fanwa ke boradikonteraka bao baneng ba sebedisa makoloi a bona ho tsamaisa bakudi. Boradikonteraka bana ba ne ba lefshwa ke lefapha. Lefapha le etsa hona molemong wa ho fana ka ditshebeletso tsa mantlha setjhabeng sa Free State. Le ha ho ne ho e na le mathata mahlakoreng bobedi ke rata ho leboha ho menahane tshebeletso eo re e filweng ke boramakoloi bana ba poraefete. Qeto ya Lefapha ya ho kgaola konteraka ena e nkilwe molemomng wa setjhaba ka kakaretso. Ho kgaolwa ha konteraka ena ha ho bolele ho fela ha mesebetsi ka ha Lefapha le tswella pele ka khiro ya bakganni ba makoloi. Bakganni bao re shebelletseng ho ba hira ba etsa palo ya 1100 ho tloha ho 411 ya pele. Sena se latela molao wa khiro ya basebetsi.

Boipiletso ba ka bo boholo boo ke tshepang hore Tonakgolo Mme Winkie Direko o tla bo toboketsa ke hore setjhaba se hlokomele dipalangwa tsena jwaloka e le thepa ya sona. Mang kapa mang ya bonwang a sebedisa bohlaswa kapa hona ho retla makoloing ana a lebiswe sepoleseng ntle le qeyaqeyo.

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, I firmly believe that these vehicles will take us a long way into our destination which is the realisation of our vision of a healthy and self-reliant Free State community. These are but just tools to be used for this realisation of our vision. We must still put the human spirit of work, dedication and passion into them. Without that human spirit, our efforts will be futile. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi: "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."

I thank you. Ke ya leboha.

Contact: Gela Naude on 051-4033020

Issued by: Office of the MEC of Health, Free State, 15 April 2001