News of vagrant's death greeted with horror
September 24 2004 at 07:46AM

By Jonathan Ancer and Solly Maphumulo

Outrage has greeted the shocking manner in which Johannesburg paramedics allegedly ill-treated a homeless man, leaving him to die on a pavement instead of providing medical help.

Angered by the way in which the homeless man was allegedly left to die were members of the public, the government, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the management of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS).

A horrified minister of health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has called for the strongest possible action against two paramedics who allegedly left the man to die because he was too dirty.

"The alleged conduct of these health workers is appalling and should be addressed immediately as it undermines the efforts of the department of health to bring dignity to all South Africans through quality healthcare.

"We should ensure that such an incident never happens again in this country."

Tshabalala-Msimang said that no one could be denied access to emergency health services.

"It's a duty of all health entities to promote these rights, which are entrenched in our constitution," she said.

Dr Audrey Gule, head of the EMS, is personally heading the investigation into the incident.

According to Stephen Kirk, a spokesperson for EMS, Gule was so outraged by the allegations reported in The Star on Thursday that she had personally taken charge of an internal investigation.
He said Gule had ordered the medics implicated in the incident to report to her on Thursday.

"EMS is taking this issue very seriously. There can be no excuse for not treating people.

"The only time medics won't treat patients is when they refuse to be treated and when they are dead. Dr Gule will get to the bottom of this matter," Kirk pledged.

On Wednesday morning, an unidentified homeless man was discovered dead on President Street in the CBD by security guard Ambrose Dudula. The previous afternoon, surveillance cameras had spotted the vagrant lying in the gutter, and security guards patrolling the area were alerted.

The guards reported that the man was in a critical condition and in need of medical attention.
An ambulance arrived, but after conducting what appears to be a cursory investigation, the medics allegedly put on surgical gloves, carried the man to a nearby wall and left him there.

The medics left just five minutes after arriving, after apparently telling the guards that they would not put the flea-and tick-ridden vagrant into their ambulance because he was "too dirty and stank".

The man died a few hours later.

SAHRC chairperson Jody Kollapen was another person who on Thursday expressed outrage at the incident.

"We are disappointed that the right to life, which is enshrined in our constitution, could have been so carelessly disregarded," he said.

"People should respond in a caring and compassionate manner to patients - irrespective of whether they are rich or poor.

"We trust that there will be a full investigation into the matter."

Democratic Alliance representative for the inner city Ann Barnes said the city, which was full of empty buildings, needed to speed up the process of accommodating those in greatest need.

"Those EMS officers appear to have hardened their hearts to the plight of many homeless people who come to the city," Barnes said.

She added that the EMS officials had failed to assist an ordinary citizen who might have been in greater need of care than most.

Johannesburg police spokesperson Inspector Amanda Roestoff said a postmortem had revealed that the vagrant had died of natural causes. She would not elaborate.

Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo, for the second consecutive day, could not be reached for comment on the matter.
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I am sure that anyone who read yesterday's Star was as shocked as I was. Callous was the headline. These are the people who should be saving lives yet they have no qualms about leaving someone they deem to be undesirable to die.

I hope these people are never allowed to work as paramedics again.

END!

Yeah, that is a pretty terrible story.

However, while I totally disagree with that those paramedics did, it is very easy for Mrs Tshabalala-Msimang to go on a moral crusade from her ivory tower.

The Johanesburg EMS and Police services has some of the toughest and worst-paid jobs in the country, and yet the have to face some of the most hazardous and disturbing working conditions. Perhaps the government should acknowledge the service of these people more often, rather than slamming them when they put a foot wrong.

It is fairly clear that paramedics don't choose their career for the financial or lifestyle benefits, so once recognition and government support is removed, who would want to sign up for the EMS services?

and cause them to strike because they get paid a pittance.

Maybe she should stop worrying about one homeless guy who was the unfortunate victim here and distribute anti retrovirals to the millions of other poor people who are dieing from aids because of her policies.

I tend to agree with sR-StanDarsh, only the most well-meaning of people become paramedics anyway. I do not think they meant the old man harm by leaving him, and they certainly did not intend to condemn him to death.

Besides, this might happen more often than we hear about it. That old man had been living on that street for four months according to the article. Ultimately, even if he had been taken to hospital and treated for whatever ailment he had, that would have just meant he would have to return to his former life; struggling to survive everyday. Maybe he was glad to die.

I think they just didn't give a damn about the life of a vagrant. One of "those people". I will get the first article where the guard tells the whole story.

You are right, this is not the first time. Paramedics quite often leave "those types" to suffer.

I am quite disturbed at your consideration that perhaps he was glad to die. Thank about that and where it could lead. Who starts deciding which people are perhaps better off dead.

END!