Residents in Bulawayo have been urged to use city council ambulances in emergencies, as hospital ambulances are mainly reserved for patients from outside the city.
The clarification was made during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting hosted by Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) on Thursday.
Phineas Sithole, Acting Director of Operations at Mpilo Central Hospital, said residents need to understand the procedures for accessing emergency services to avoid delays.
“We need to understand that there are rules that govern the operation of ambulances at government hospitals,” Sithole said. “Residents of Bulawayo have access to council ambulances, they need to make use of those.”
The comments came after members of the Health Care Committee (HCC) raised concerns about access to ambulances at Cowdray Park’s new government health facility. One member said residents were often told the ambulance stationed there could not transport them, forcing families to rely on council services.
“We end up calling council ambulances, which sometimes take longer to arrive. Sometimes people use wheelbarrows or pushcarts to get patients to the clinic,” the committee member said.
Sithole explained that central hospital ambulances are intended for patients in the city’s periphery, while Bulawayo’s referral hospitals rely on local clinics to assess patients before transferring them.
“Calling ambulances to one’s home is not really advised,” he said. “Patients must go to local clinics and, if their conditions are serious, the clinic calls the ambulance for transfer to the hospital.”
He added that the introduction of helicopter ambulances had eased pressure on facilities, allowing patients to be picked up and brought in faster for medical assistance.
Support CITE’s fearless, independent journalism. Your donation helps us amplify community voices, fight misinformation, and hold power to account. Help keep the truth alive. Donate today