News / National
Bulawayo city council struggles with ambulance shortage
30 Mar 2025 at 15:35hrs | Views
The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is facing a critical shortage of ambulances, significantly impacting its ability to provide emergency medical services. Chamber Secretary Sikhangele Zhou revealed that the city's fire and ambulance department requires at least 30 ambulances to function optimally but currently operates with only seven.
Speaking at a handover ceremony on Friday—held alongside a pass-out parade for the city's latest group of graduating firefighters—Zhou emphasized the urgent need for more ambulances. She acknowledged that while five of the available ambulances are fully equipped with state-of-the-art life support systems, the remaining two require further upgrades.
"We need more ambulances in our department. We only have seven out of the required 30, which has affected our ability to deliver services when residents need them most," Zhou stated.
She further noted that some older ambulances had been restored, temporarily increasing the number of operational vehicles. However, the two resuscitated ambulances lack essential life support equipment, limiting their effectiveness to patient transportation.
Due to this shortage, BCC often refers emergency calls to private ambulance providers when demand exceeds capacity. However, this measure has been met with resistance from residents who prefer municipal services.
"There have been instances where we have advised residents to seek services from alternative providers due to overwhelming demand, but this has been met with strong resistance. We urge residents to understand the challenges we face due to the shortage of ambulances," Zhou explained.
Despite these challenges, BCC recently received additional fire trucks and equipment through Operation Florian, an initiative aimed at strengthening emergency response capabilities. However, the city remains in dire need of more ambulances to adequately serve its population.
As the council seeks solutions to address the shortfall, stakeholders are urged to support efforts to improve emergency medical response services in Bulawayo.
Speaking at a handover ceremony on Friday—held alongside a pass-out parade for the city's latest group of graduating firefighters—Zhou emphasized the urgent need for more ambulances. She acknowledged that while five of the available ambulances are fully equipped with state-of-the-art life support systems, the remaining two require further upgrades.
"We need more ambulances in our department. We only have seven out of the required 30, which has affected our ability to deliver services when residents need them most," Zhou stated.
She further noted that some older ambulances had been restored, temporarily increasing the number of operational vehicles. However, the two resuscitated ambulances lack essential life support equipment, limiting their effectiveness to patient transportation.
"There have been instances where we have advised residents to seek services from alternative providers due to overwhelming demand, but this has been met with strong resistance. We urge residents to understand the challenges we face due to the shortage of ambulances," Zhou explained.
Despite these challenges, BCC recently received additional fire trucks and equipment through Operation Florian, an initiative aimed at strengthening emergency response capabilities. However, the city remains in dire need of more ambulances to adequately serve its population.
As the council seeks solutions to address the shortfall, stakeholders are urged to support efforts to improve emergency medical response services in Bulawayo.
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