New Ambulance Station for Tulbagh Area

This morning (7th February) the Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, unveiled the new ambulance station in Tulbagh. The project budget was R6.7 million. The event was attended by local councillors, EMS staff, and health managers and of course, ambulance personnel. 
 
In his address Minister Botha said in terms of the contract local semi-skilled and unskilled employees had to be employed for a minimum of 1000 work days. For this project employees were employed for 2760 work ays exceeding the target by 5.2%.
 
Tulbagh ambulance station is the 6th new ambulance station in the Province opened since 2009. The others were at Kwanokuthula, Leeu-Gamka,  Ceres, Vredendal and Khayelisha Hospital.  Three new ambulance stations will open this year - one in  Malmesbury, one in Heidelberg and one in Robertson.

Minister Botha complimented EMS on their outstanding work. "Our EMS is world-class." Emergency Medical Services is represented in 50 towns in the Western Cape.  The overall target is that EMS should respond to 75% of all calls within one hour.

Since 2009 almost R644 million of capital projects were completed in the Winelands. The largest part of this budget has been the re-construction and renovation of Paarl Hospital at R473 million. Other projects include the revitalisation of Worcester Hospital – R60 million; the upgrading of TC Newman Clinic in Paarl – R42 million; and the upgrade of the Ceres Hospital emergency centre – R14 million.