Mandela ambulance broke down on way to hospital

The ambulance that rushed former South African president Nelson Mandela to a hospital in the early hours of June 8th broke down, resulting in a delay while a replacement vehicle was dispatched.

The military ambulance experienced "engine problems" on the way to the hospital in Pretoria, Mac Maharaj, spokesman for president Jacob Zuma, said in a phone interview today, confirming a report by New York-based broadcaster, CBS News.

Medical staff attending to Mr Mandela (94) decided to transfer him to another vehicle, Mr Maharaj said.

“Doctors ensured his health wasn’t compromised during the incident,” he said.

The CBS report says the transfer to another ambulance took place in freezing winter temperatures.

Mr Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, is spending his 15th day in the hospital for treatment relating to a recurring lung infection.

It’s the fourth time he’s been hospitalized since December.

The presidency said in a statement on its website today that Mr Mandela “remains in a serious but stable condition.”

Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela in 1999, said on June 20th the former leader’s condition was improving, while the Johannesburg-based Star newspaper yesterday quoted his grandson, Ndaba Mandela, as saying he may be discharged from the hospital soon.

That’s contradicted by the CBS News report yesterday, which said Mr Mandela is unresponsive, his liver and kidneys are functioning at 50 per cent and he had a procedure to repair a bleeding ulcer, citing unidentified people.

The broadcaster also said Mr Mandela went into cardiac arrest on June 8th and had to be resuscitated.

The Presidency today appealed for Mr Mandela’s privacy to “be respected and that he be accorded the doctor-patient confidentiality that all patients are entitled to in terms of medical ethics,” it said in the statement.

Bloomberg