Cookhouse gets ambulance service

THE Eastern Cape Health Department opened an ambulance substation in Cookhouse yesterday in an effort to boost the response times of emergency vehicles.

Health MEC Sicelo Gqobana said at the opening that the Cookhouse area would have a dedicated ambulance. "There are many elderly people living here and we have received a number of complaints about slow response times of ambulances.

"The closest hospital is 23km away. The problem was the ambulances were controlled from Graaff-Reinet and took a long time to get here."

Gqobana said they also aimed to open a 24-hour clinic in Cookhouse. "Five professional nurses will start on April 1. Comprehensive health services will be provided here. We are working towards making it a 24-hour clinic." – Estelle Ellis