Rural district hospitals: Ambulance services, staff attitudes, and other impediments to healthcare delivery

Abstract

The purpose of this letter is to stress once more the importance of a reliable ambulance service to and from rural district hospitals in South Africa, along roads that are usable. The rural hospital cannot play its role as ‘hub’ without a connecting transport lifeline. The attitudes of some staff members at some district hospitals have to be addressed. Proper training (and re-training) in the basic tenets of the ethos of healthcare are a top priority.