When the ambulance does not come.

I want to share an experience my domestic worker, Joyce, had as I found it eye opening as to the hardships many people face here in South Africa.

A few weeks ago, Joyce's neighbor from Zimbabwe was chasing after her 3 year old boy who then ran into the street and was struck by a car.  The government ambulance was called as well as the police but neither showed up and the boy died in his mothers arms at the scene.  Joyce said it was a horrific scene with blood everywhere and since no one in her community has a car, they could not transport the child either.  The driver of the car did not offer to take the boy to the hospital.  Of course upon Joyce telling me this story I was shocked and had a million questions as to why this would happen.

Joyce explained that there are different levels of police and ambulance services in South Africa.  I was aware of different ambulance companies as I have numbers to several that Black and Veatch has provided us with.  She said that if you do not have any money you will call the government ambulance and police department.  Joyce said that often they will take hours to arrive, if they come at all.  Joyce said she called the police once at midnight as someone had broken into her home and they did not come until the next morning.  Sadly in the case of the little boy, the government ambulance and police were called and NEVER showed.  Joyce said if you had money you could call one of the private ambulances and police officers but they would demand payment at the scene if you did not have insurance.

Joyce said these situations are not uncommon and her community has accepted it.  Joyce said that when the ambulance does arrive, often times there are other patients in there as well.  The government ambulance will act as more of a taxi to get you to the hospital and might not perform any treatment while in transit.  Joyce said that when she called for the ambulance when her daughter went into labor at night, it came 3 hours later and there were two other patients on board.  One was bleeding and the other throwing up, plus they would have to make another stop before getting to the hospital of the ambulance's choice.

For the 3 year old boy who died at the scene the man who hit him did offer to pay for his burial a week later and went to the police station to make a report.  Joyce said her community was not upset with the man for hitting the boy with his car as they believed the mother to be at fault for what happened.  Joyce said there is nothing that can be done about the ambulance and police not coming.  Complaining goes unheard and she has learned to not trust the government as she states "they don't care about their people".

I explained to Joyce about emergency services in America and felt very blessed that our system works in the fashion it does.  Death is something Joyce and her community are quite accustomed to, at any age, as that is the reality in which they live.  I hope to never need emergency medical care in the form of an ambulance and relieved to know we have the "better" private options but this is still a different country with different ways of providing care so one ever really knows.