Hijackers targeted an ambulance near Qumbu in the Eastern Cape on Monday night – the fourth department vehicle to be hijacked here since January – leaving the crew and an eight-year-old patient stranded on the side of the road.
The provincial Health Department and police are still searching for the vehicle, which is worth around R1m, reports Daily Maverick.
The patient was being taken from the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Mbizana to Nelson Mandela Bay Hospital in Mthatha, said department spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase.
“The senseless attack traumatised the two EMS crew and the young patient, all of whom will be offered counselling. We are relieved that none of them suffered physical injuries.”
The incident also means there is now one less ambulance to service the Alfred Nzo District, which will compromise emergency responses, she added.
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