As the lockdown enters its ninth week, an unforeseen casualty has been the private ambulance industry, reports Business Day. The sector – which supports more than 400 companies and over 13,000 medics – has been roiled by a sharp dip in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many firms placing staff on short time and others mothballing usually busy ambulances.
Private ambulance services transport the sick and injured for a fee, with revenue streams intrinsically linked to house calls, road accidents and workplace and sporting injuries. But with the decline in road accidents and a new-found fear of hospitals, medics said the survival of their companies is uncertain.
The report says South African Private Ambulance & Emergency Services Association (Sapaesa) has warned that many companies faced closure. "If the South African economy continues in its downward spiral in response to the current lockdown, a number of private ambulance services in South Africa face imminent closure," said Sapaesa CEO Oliver Wright.
When the peak of COVID-19 infections hits South Africa, there may be a dire shortage of ambulances available to assist patients who need to be hospitalised, said Wright.
Wright said that there are about 410 private ambulance services, which operate an estimated 2,000 ambulances – and employ about 13,325 people. "A large number of private ambulance services in South Africa will not be able to afford to operate past the end of June," he said.
[link url="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bt/business-and-economy/2020-05-24-private-ambulances—slow-right-down/"]Full Business Day report[/link]