In a life-or-death situation, all you hear is sirens. The sound of saving your loved ones’ life. Although in such a situation, you would be willing to do anything to save your loved ones’ life, should there be no ambulance available… your options are limited, and due to the ambulance crisis in South Africa, there may be no ambulance available to save your/your loved ones’ life.

Alongside the above, there are also differences in private and public ambulance services, and the implications of entering each of these emergency vehicles differ too.

In South Africa, you cannot be refused emergency, lifesaving medical services; this includes individuals that cannot afford such services. The National Patients’ Rights Charter protects and provides South Africans with the right to medical assistance. Provincial, state-run emergency services can stabilise and transport individuals to hospitals at no cost. It is important to note, however, as seen above, that all provinces within South Africa have too few public ambulances available.

The above situation is relevant for public emergency services, however, when dealing with private emergency services, the following is relevant:

• Should you have medical aid, you will be charged accordingly/your medical aid will finance the relevant portion of the fees. There are various medical aid plans in South Africa, and each one is likely to pay out differently based on the level of coverage.
• Should you not be a member of a medical aid scheme, an assessment is performed based on your income and you will be charged accordingly.
• Traffic accidents are covered by the road accident fund and therefore private ambulance services are reimbursed via this structure.

In summary, should an ambulance be required by you/your loved ones, there is a way to make it happen no matter your financial situation. An ambulance bed is available to all!

• DOWNLOAD THE NAMOLA APP

As a South African, you should download the Namola app! Namola is your best friend in an emergency situation. It is free to download (available on Apple and on Android devices) and can assist you greatly. After downloading the app, and inserting basic personal information, a large SOS button can be seen at the bottom of your screen, this button then has options including: Fire, Medical, Accident and more. Selecting the option best suited for your situation will put you through to a call centre where someone will answer and be ready to assist you. Namola strives to create safer communities, and to protect you in frightening situations. The app has many features, outside of those mentioned. Namola can assist you in contacting public emergency services, as well as community responders.

• TRAIN FIRST AID

Having basic First Aid knowledge is extremely beneficial to assist in an emergency medical situation. Should an ambulance take hours to arrive on scene, being first aid trained could be the difference between life or death for the casualty.

• REMEMBER: 10177 AND 112

10177 is the South African number fire department and ambulance emergency number. 112 is the number for all emergencies. These two numbers are important, and valuable to remember. Save them on your cell phone, write them down and slip them into your cell phone cover or in your handbag or car.

The above tips, tricks and knowledge will hopefully assist you, as a South African, when you find yourself in a situation requiring emergency medical services.