Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Parliamentary spokesperson for Transport and Infrastructure Development Settlement Chikwinya has called on for the quick deployment of donated ambulances at tollgates.
Early this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) donated ten ambulances to the Government with the aim of rendering quick response medical services in the event of emergencies.
In a statement, Chikwinya who is also Mbizo constituency legislator said victims of road traffic accidents continue to lose lives whilst the ambulances are docked at government premises.
“Most road traffic accident victims die within the first hour if they do not receive adequate medical attention, study has shown. It is with this realisation in mind that the idea of stationing ambulance services at all toll gates was embraced by all road stakeholders as far back as May 2021 but up to now, victims of road traffic accidents continue to lose life with government sitting on ambulances donated for deployment at Tollgates without stationing them where they are due.
“Recently the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe donated four more ambulances for the same purposes as Zimbabwe intends to raise the figure of Ambulances to be stationed at Tollgates to twenty but still none of these have been deployed with no explanation from Chiwenga,” said Chikwinya.
He said if the service is properly and quickly implemented it will minimise the loss of lives.
“The Citizens Coalition for Change calls of the government to expedite the deployment of this critical service especially at this time when we are heading towards rainy season and Christmas holidays a season that is characterized by high road traffic accident rate. Ambulances at Toll gates arrive much faster at accident scenes because they do not have to weave through the high traffic volume that characterizes our city centers especially during peak hours.
“This service if properly implemented as per the recommendations of the World Health Organization will definitely save many lives and we call upon Hon Chiwenga the Minister of Health to immediately release the available Ambulances for work so that we minimise any further loss of life,” he said
