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Buthelezi Emergency Services' contract not terminated

───   OLEBOGENG MOTSE 12:54 Sat, 24 Feb 2018

Buthelezi Emergency Services' contract not terminated | News Article

The Free State Health Department’s contract with private emergency medical service, Buthelezi, has not been terminated.


This is according to the Free State Department of Health spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi.

This is contrary to an internal memo dated 22 February, written by the Clinical Manager of Phekolong Hospital in Bethlehem, stating that Buthelezi Services had been stopped with immediate effect. 

Mvambi called the circular erroneous. He says the ambulance service had not been phased out; in fact, whenever patients need to be transferred from one facility to another for a higher level of care, the provincial control centre must be contacted to determine first whether a departmental ambulance is available, if one is unavailable then Buthelezi will be contacted to assist.

Mvambi criticised the Chief Medical Officer at Phekolong Hospital, saying that he/she was not authorised to send the circular, the CEO of the hospital must send that memo. He also said that the contents of the circular were inaccurate. 

“We want all ambulances that are responding to any call to service to be dispersed from the control centre in the province,” says Mvambi. 

He told OFM News that the Buthelezi contract is still in place and the department will announce the outcome of the tender in due course. 

OFM News reported last year that the Free State Department of Health had launched a tender process to procure a new private ambulance service. This after the department came under fire for paying millions to the current contractor – Buthelezi Ambulances.

Meanwhile, the North West Health Department also recently came under fire after it was reported that almost 40 brand-new state ambulances had not been used for three months while millions were spent on private ambulances every month. 

North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo, this week announced that he will be instituting a forensic investigation into the provincial Health Department for the Mediosa single medical mobile clinic transfer, as well as other procurement irregularities raised by the public. 

These alleged irregularities include looking into the Buthelezi Ambulance tender.


 OFM News


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Free State Department of Health spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi:

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