The Gauteng Health Department says all their ambulances are now being fitted with CCTV cameras and tracking devices.
This after an Emergency Medical Services crew was hijacked, kidnapped, assaulted, and robbed of their personal belongings while responding to a bogus distress call in Nellmapius near Mamelodi in Pretoria on Saturday.
Upon arrival the crew was stopped by criminals before being forced to drive to a secluded veld where they were tied up while the assailants drove away with the ambulance. They managed to free themselves before calling for help. Gauteng Health Department’s Motalatale Modiba says through the use of technology an armed response team was activated and the ambulance was recovered minutes later.
“Fortunately, we have footage of the perpetrators and that has been handed over to the police. We hope this will assist in speeding up the case. Part of the other measures, there is a programme now to roll out the Gauteng Panic Button which is obviously going to be given to healthcare workers that find themselves in vulnerable spaces.”
