Questions are being asked if Dale College schoolboy Okhule Jali, 13, who drowned at Glen Eden on Monday, could have been rescued if the EMS helipad in East London had been in good working order.
Vicky Thompson, a Glen Eden health practitioner, said she saw Jali through her binoculars clinging to a rocky point and even waving for help – but by the time the chopper arrived he had drowned.
“It took such a long time to come, but when they did, they were phenomenal,” she said.
The health workers in the helicopter spotted the Zwelitsha schoolboy’s body in the sea not far from the point.
On Wednesday, when Mxolisi Dimaza, chairman of the Eastern Cape legislature’s health portfolio committee, was told about the disused helipad he reacted with shock, saying the health department had not told him about it, and he immediately drove to inspect the site. Later he said the closure had caused “a lot of time to be wasted in getting to the boy”.
He is unhappy with the response he got from managers and plans to take it up with the health department, especially with the festive season so close.
On Wednesday, aviation sources alerted the Dispatch to the SA civil aviation authority’s shut-down the helipad four months ago after the health department failed for three years to carry out the repairs ordered after an audit.
The closure means the rented rescue chopper must park at East London airport while the crew are at EMS in Vincent.
“They drive, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, from Vincent, through East London’s CBD, across the Biko Bridge and along Settlers’ Way to get to the airport,” said Glen Eden chopper pilot Warren James.
“This adds many extra minutes, as many as 20 or more, to the time it takes for the EMS crew to get to the chopper.
“From the helipad in Vincent it would probably have taken only five minutes to get the chopper into the air and 10 minutes to reach the scene.”
Geoff McGregor, station commander of the NSRI, said the helicopter arrived and found Jali’s body floating in the surf, which the NSRI boat crew then retrieved.
Dale Primary’s school governing body chairman Rupert Fortune said Jali was taught to swim as swimming was part of the school curriculum.
Dimaza said the paperwork given to the health department by the aviation authority, which formally set out the needed work, could not be produced by the managers and he suspected it was being withheld.
He said he was taken through the facility and discovered that:
lA number of aviation lights had not been put in, including lights on a nearby government building;
lA contractor to do the work had not been contracted by the department;
lThe crew’s waiting room did not have proper toilets or kitchen facilities;
lThe helipad was bumpy and the area around it needed to be cleared;
lThe hangar had not been widened as instructed; and
lPainted lines and other markings were faded and not clearly visible.
Dimaza said the officials had claimed the closure had not been much of an inconvenience because “the airport is not that far” but he was not satisfied. “I had not been told about this by the department. It is critical that the department fixes this as a matter of urgency. The holiday season is almost upon us.”
Celeste Barker, a DA MPL, suspected “a major dereliction of duty” had caused the helipad to fall into disrepair.
“A helipad is a final resort to save patients’ lives when they are at death’s door and in desperate need of life-saving intervention and support,” she said.
The DA would be submitting legislature questions to health MEC Dr Phumza Dyanti.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana did not reply to calls, e-mails and a message on his Facebook page.
Questions and calls to the SA civil aviation authority did not evoke a response.
However, Buffalo City Metro issued a strong statement apologising to all affected, with metro spokesman Sibusiso Cindi saying: “The facility is in BCM and its state affects mostly our residents, so the metro will visit the facility and do a thorough check, and then engage the provincial health department.
“BCM was not aware about this, but thanks for bringing it to our attention.
“We will soon send our team there to investigate.
“We would like to apologise to the chopper pilots, medics and injured persons for any inconvenience that they might have found themselves in due to our shortcomings as the municipality. We would like to assure them that BCM will attend to their complaints.
“The matter is of grave concern as we take the health of our residents as one of our top priorities. A delay of a minute or more can cause more harm to an injured person and thus it is essential that together we fix these challenges.” — mikel@dispatch.co.za
Deadly state of neglected EMS helipad
Vicky Thompson, a Glen Eden health practitioner, said she saw Jali through her binoculars clinging to a rocky point and even waving for help – but by the time the chopper arrived he had drowned.
“It took such a long time to come, but when they did, they were phenomenal,” she said.
The health workers in the helicopter spotted the Zwelitsha schoolboy’s body in the sea not far from the point.
On Wednesday, when Mxolisi Dimaza, chairman of the Eastern Cape legislature’s health portfolio committee, was told about the disused helipad he reacted with shock, saying the health department had not told him about it, and he immediately drove to inspect the site. Later he said the closure had caused “a lot of time to be wasted in getting to the boy”.
He is unhappy with the response he got from managers and plans to take it up with the health department, especially with the festive season so close.
On Wednesday, aviation sources alerted the Dispatch to the SA civil aviation authority’s shut-down the helipad four months ago after the health department failed for three years to carry out the repairs ordered after an audit.
The closure means the rented rescue chopper must park at East London airport while the crew are at EMS in Vincent.
“They drive, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, from Vincent, through East London’s CBD, across the Biko Bridge and along Settlers’ Way to get to the airport,” said Glen Eden chopper pilot Warren James.
“This adds many extra minutes, as many as 20 or more, to the time it takes for the EMS crew to get to the chopper.
“From the helipad in Vincent it would probably have taken only five minutes to get the chopper into the air and 10 minutes to reach the scene.”
Geoff McGregor, station commander of the NSRI, said the helicopter arrived and found Jali’s body floating in the surf, which the NSRI boat crew then retrieved.
Dale Primary’s school governing body chairman Rupert Fortune said Jali was taught to swim as swimming was part of the school curriculum.
Dimaza said the paperwork given to the health department by the aviation authority, which formally set out the needed work, could not be produced by the managers and he suspected it was being withheld.
He said he was taken through the facility and discovered that:
lA number of aviation lights had not been put in, including lights on a nearby government building;
lA contractor to do the work had not been contracted by the department;
lThe crew’s waiting room did not have proper toilets or kitchen facilities;
lThe helipad was bumpy and the area around it needed to be cleared;
lThe hangar had not been widened as instructed; and
lPainted lines and other markings were faded and not clearly visible.
Dimaza said the officials had claimed the closure had not been much of an inconvenience because “the airport is not that far” but he was not satisfied. “I had not been told about this by the department. It is critical that the department fixes this as a matter of urgency. The holiday season is almost upon us.”
Celeste Barker, a DA MPL, suspected “a major dereliction of duty” had caused the helipad to fall into disrepair.
“A helipad is a final resort to save patients’ lives when they are at death’s door and in desperate need of life-saving intervention and support,” she said.
The DA would be submitting legislature questions to health MEC Dr Phumza Dyanti.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana did not reply to calls, e-mails and a message on his Facebook page.
Questions and calls to the SA civil aviation authority did not evoke a response.
However, Buffalo City Metro issued a strong statement apologising to all affected, with metro spokesman Sibusiso Cindi saying: “The facility is in BCM and its state affects mostly our residents, so the metro will visit the facility and do a thorough check, and then engage the provincial health department.
“BCM was not aware about this, but thanks for bringing it to our attention.
“We will soon send our team there to investigate.
“We would like to apologise to the chopper pilots, medics and injured persons for any inconvenience that they might have found themselves in due to our shortcomings as the municipality. We would like to assure them that BCM will attend to their complaints.
“The matter is of grave concern as we take the health of our residents as one of our top priorities. A delay of a minute or more can cause more harm to an injured person and thus it is essential that together we fix these challenges.” — mikel@dispatch.co.za
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