New emergency vehicles for ECape hospitals

The Eastern Cape health department will get 100 new emergency vehicles before the Easter holidays, says spokesman Sizwe Kupelo.

Kupelo said the vehicles,worth R51 million, would be stationed throughout the province.

"The ambulances will be fitted with specialised ventilators for pregnant women and their babies to try and reduce the province's infant mortality rate," he said on Thursday.

This comes after the deaths of 29 babies at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London in January.

It was hoped the new fleet would also improve on accident response times during the Easter weekend.

Two air ambulance helicopters would cater for rural and inaccessible areas.