Gauteng trauma care crisis leaves patient fighting for life in ambulance

Rescue teams forced to provide prolonged roadside care

Pretoria Volunteer Emergency Services (PVES) founder Hugo Minnaar said crews attended a pedestrian-vehicle collision on Saturday night and found an adult patient in an extremely critical condition after the person was apparently struck by a car. Minnaar said the motorist reportedly fled the scene.

“Due to the severity of the injuries, PVES members immediately requested additional advanced critical care support,”

PVES said crews delivered advanced life-saving treatment on scene, including medication, intravenous infusions, temperature control with an easywarm blanket, monitoring of bilateral intravenous access and advanced airway management. The patient was later placed on artificial ventilation through endotracheal intubation because of the extent of the head injury.

Hospitals at capacity, private ambulance steps in

PVES contacted multiple hospitals while seeking definitive care for the patient, including Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria Academic Hospital, Tembisa Hospital, Mamelodi Regional Hospital and Kalafong Hospital. Kalafong was additionally affected by computed tomography scanner limitations that prevented acceptance of a severe trauma patient needing immediate neurological imaging.

DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom said he referred the matter to the Gauteng health department’s acting head Dr Darion Barclay, and warned there is a shortage of beds for emergencies across hospitals.

Claims from Citizen on delays and prolonged ambulance care

According to Citizen, PVES reported that after ambulances didn’t arrive after 80 minutes, medical response Aura SA authorised a private ambulance to transport the patient. Citizen also reported that PVES said emergency personnel were forced to continue critical care treatment inside the ambulance for about three hours while searching for a facility that could admit the patient.

“During this time, oxygen supplies and emergency medications began to run low due to the prolonged out-of-hospital management of the patient,”

Wider system strain highlighted

Minnaar said the incident highlights an ongoing crisis in Gauteng’s emergency and trauma care systems, saying critically injured patients cannot be safely managed for prolonged periods inside ambulances while hospitals remain unable to accept emergency admissions because of overcrowding, resource shortages or infrastructure limitations. He added there is no air support to transport patients to Johannesburg trauma units.

Bloom noted added pressure on Steve Biko Academic Hospital following the destruction by fire of Tembisa Hospital’s casualty unit last year, which he said has led to diversion of emergency patients to other already pressured hospitals.

Response from authorities

The Gauteng department of health had not responded to questions by the time of publication.

What happened next

The patient was transported by the authorised private ambulance after prolonged efforts to secure a hospital bed. PVES warned the shortage of specialist resources, operational equipment and available beds puts patients and emergency responders under severe pressure and can significantly affect outcomes.