New private ambulance rules
PRIVATE ambulance operators will have to comply with a host of new requirements if new regulations are signed into law.
At present, the private ambulance industry is unregulated, meaning there is no industry standard. Any person or organisation can operate a service.
But a series of strict licensing requirements proposed in the gazetted emergency services regulations aim to change all this.
According to the proposed regulations, ambulance operators will have to, among other things:
- Be licensed;
- Be supervised by an emergency medical services manager;
- Operate out of a specific base;
- Have a communications system to receive requests and remotely manage resources;
- Have sluice facilities to clean contaminated equipment and linen;
- Have washing facilities with appropriate medical waste traps built in;
- Have specific equipment as listed in the regulations; and
- Ensure the vehicles are clearly marked as emergency cars.
The proposed regulations, which have received a mixed reaction, are out for public comment. The public has three months to comment.
SA Private Ambulance and Emergency Services Association chief executive Oliver Wright said he was looking forward to the promulgation.
He said at the moment there was nothing to ensure that private ambulances were carrying the correct equipment or had registered ambulance staff.
Emergency medical practitioner Dr Jonathan Witt said the move was good, but it would be "a bureaucratic mess".
Peter Fuhri, the Health Department's director of emergency medical services, said the regulations were prompted by complaints from the public.
He said the regulations would allow the government to get a grip on the sector.
The regulations could impact on provincial health departments, with many of them dependent on private ambulance operators for support. - Sipho Masombuka
