“Hospitals are not playgrounds for criminals.”
So says Vusi Shongwe, MEC for community safety in Mpumalanga, after an attack on a clinic on Sunday morning during which an ambulance driver was injured and the ambulance was hijacked.
According to Moeti Mmusi, spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety, an unknown group of men pointed a firearm at a security guard at the entrance to the Pholansikazi Community Health Center in Mbombela.
“The men fired three shots at an ambulance driver before hijacking the ambulance,” confirms Mmusi. “The driver suffered minor injuries and received medical treatment.”
The department called a security task force – which it had contracted – to the scene, which chased the hijacked ambulance. The ambulance was recovered about two kilometers from the clinic.
This attack follows a week after a group of armed men attacked the Carolina hospital and robbed staff.
RNews earlier reported that a group of men terrorized the hospital’s staff and patients last Saturday around 01:00 and damaged the medical equipment and furniture in the casualty unit.
According to Mmusi, this group of men was taken to hospital after a fight broke out between the local tavern owner and his customers. The group of men, who were part of a gang, allegedly attacked the tavern owner.
“The police were called to the tavern and a shootout ensued. The injured were then taken to Carolina Hospital. The person who took the injured to the hospital succumbed to his injuries, after which the group began to vandalize the hospital and attacked and robbed the staff.”
Safety and security have been tightened at the hospital after this incident.
According to Shongwe, the barbaric and heartless behavior towards health workers cannot be tolerated.
“Just condemning the incidents is not enough and the government will continue to work harder to identify any security threats at these facilities, with a view to continuously eliminating threats,” says Shongwe.
“The department will continue to engage with contracted security service providers and other relevant stakeholders to find better ways to protect hospitals and clinics.”
Shongwe further calls on communities to assist the government in its efforts to protect these facilities and practitioners. He says these institutions exist solely to ensure that communities have access to health services.
“While we work tirelessly to secure healthcare facilities and staff, we also need communities to help by reporting any suspicious activity or people to the police. The attacks on these facilities and personnel are the worst form of lawlessness. That’s why communities must work with us and expose evildoers.”
