Western Cape's Emergency Medical Services believes that calls for personnel not to operate in crime-ridden areas were "premature". And the head of the service has rejected Premier Helen Zille's appeal to have soldiers escort ambulance staff.
Authorities were responding to a statement by the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA yesterday that said its members were considering withdrawing services in the wake of a violent attack on personnel.
Western Cape EMS director Shaheem de Vries told The Times that several things would need to happen before EMS clinical staff downed tools, or boycotted "red zone" areas.
These included a complete systems failure and a change in the organisation's position on how widespread the problem actually is.
"I understand the position but I think it is premature and it doesn't reflect our labour caucus," De Vries said.
"It's an emotional response to a challenging problem. The position reflects a poor understanding of the mindset of personnel."