AN ambulance belonging to the Limpopo Department of Health was hijacked on Wednesday night after dropping off patient a at Jane Furse Hospital.
And yesterday morning, it was found in Ga-Masemola with some of its parts stripped.
The dashboard, doors and rear main boot door had been removed by the time the Toyota Quantum was found. It was hijacked in Strydkraal while returning to the Nchabeleng Emergency Management Service Station.
Health spokesman Neil Shikwambana said: “We are relieved the crew members travelling in the ambulance were not hurt.
“They are safe and were only robbed of their cellphones.
“The stripped ambulance is being checked to find which parts have been stolen and estimate how much they were worth.”
Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba called on residents who might have information about the hijacking to help the police.
“It is shocking how a sane person can target such a valuable and sensitive community resource. Doesn’t anyone care that a community member, a relative or even a parent can lose their life due to the non-availability of an ambulance that has been hijacked and stripped for parts?
“Crime has become the number one risk to the delivery of quality healthcare in this country. Annually, the department buys 50 ambulances to beef up its fleet but the impact is minimal due to theft and hijacking,” she said.
