Health and Wellness
- Whether there are any plans in place to support farmworkers in Barrydale who have to travel at 02:00 in the morning and wait in harsh weather conditions for ambulance services in front of a closed clinic; if not, why not; if so, what interventions are planned to address this situation;
- whether additional emergency medical services or alternative arrangements will be provided to assist these communities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Please note that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and HealthNET fulfil different functions. HealthNET provides planned patient transport for booked appointments, including transport to regional and tertiary hospitals, to help connect patients to healthcare, especially when long distances are involved and where no public transport is available. Planned patient transport requires patients to arrive at an agreed upon pick-up point. Depending on distance to travel and appointment times, this can sometimes mean that pick-ups are in the early hours of the morning.
By contrast, when a patient requires emergency medical care, EMS responds to the residence or location from which the emergency call was made.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness continues to review rural service delivery arrangements in line with access challenges, referral pathways, and available resources.
At this time, no additional Barrydale-specific emergency medical service or alternative arrangement is currently planned. Emergency care in these communities continues to be provided through the existing EMS platform, while planned patient transport is managed through HealthNET arrangements.
The Department recognises the challenges experienced by rural communities in accessing care over long distances and continues to consider broader rural service delivery improvements where feasible and affordable.
