Two ambulance crew members were attacked at Winterveld, Pretoria North, and had their belongings stolen.

Gauteng health spokesperson Philani Mhlungu said the incident happened on Sunday evening when the two personnel were attending to a patient.

“The crew was busy inserting an IV [intravenous] line for the patient and they had the ambulance door open when they were approached by two males who robbed them of their belongings at gun point. Fortunately no one was hurt during the process,” Mhlungu said.

Mhlungu said any form of attack on healthcare workers was unacceptable as this puts their lives and those in need of emergency medical response at great risk.

“Our health resources are stretched to the limit as we work around the clock to curb the spread of Covid-19. The last thing we want is for healthcare workers to start fearing for their lives instead of being concerned about saving as many lives as possible,” Mhlungu said.

The department is pleading with anyone who might have information about the incident to come forward and assist the police with their investigation.