Private ambulances to withdraw services in RAF dispute
A group of private ambulance services are set to down tools today due to ongoing disputes between them and the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
An IoL report notes that in October last year, members of the KZN Private Ambulance Association gathered at the RAF’s office in the Durban CBD to address similar concerns.
At the time, a spokesperson said some operators were owed up to R5m for work already done. They handed over a list of grievances to management and to date have not heard from the RAF.
EmergenC XS Private Ambulance & Training Services' Malebo Mabalane said this time they are taking the fight back to the RAF, showing that they are willing to exhaust all measures in trying to get a formal discussion going.
He said one of the main issues operators are experiencing is they are expected to hand in police reports when they make claims after transporting patients to hospital.
‘This requires a police officer attending every accident scene to fill out the report and we know police officers do not attend every single accident scene,’ he said.
Mabalane said the constant changes by the RAF are having a negative impact on business and often operators are targeted if they ask about payment upfront when treating patients.
He said they are hoping to get a formal meeting set up with RAF in order to address their grievances.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
