Donation from AREVA
2012/06/05
St. Gabriel's Ambulance Trust received a new ambulance
worth N$450 000 as a joint-donation by Areva Namibia and Sandvik Mining
Systems Africa. This is the latest addition to St. Gabriel's Arandis
facility which was established last year. The Trust has been in
existence for about a decade after being established in Walvis Bay.
The
emergency response vehicle will not only serve the community of
Arandis, but will also assist in road accidents along the B2 between
Usakos and Swakopmund - a road notorious for its accidents. In fact, with the new ambulance at Arandis, response time to accidents along the route would be cut by half.
In
the past, ambulances were sent from either Rio Tinto's Rössing Uranium
Mine, or from Usakos; and in some cases emergency vehicles from
Swakopmund had to be used even for community incidences. These could
take between 30 minutes to an hour to arrive on the scene, whereas with
the new ambulance, the response time could be within 10 to 15 minutes.
The handover ceremony was officiated by Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Petrina Haingura. Haingura
said that her ministry had been trying since 2006 to get an ambulance
for the small town, but without success due to lack of financial
resources. 'Now with the assistance from the private sector, here is
the ambulance. This just shows the important role of smart partnerships.
The ministry cannot manage these issues alone,' she said.
The ambulance has been named Desert Rose.