When considering an application for a licence, the Committee must consider the comments and responses received in respect of the application in order to determine whether there is a justifiable need for the proposed Emergency Medical Service and may take into account the following:
| (a) | The need to ensure consistency of health service planning and development at national, provincial and local levels and the need to promote equitable distribution and rationalisation of health services with a view to correcting inequities based on racial, gender, economic and geographical factors and taking into account— |
| (i) | the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of the population to be served; |
| (ii) | the total and target population in the area; |
| (iii) | the age and gender composition of the population; and |
| (iv) | the morbidity and mortality profiles of the population; |
| (b) | the availability of existing emergency medical services; |
| (c) | the need to promote quality services which are accessible, affordable, cost-effective and safe; |
| (d) | the potential advantages and disadvantages of the application for any affected communities; |
| (e) | the need to advance persons or categories of persons designated in terms of the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act No. 55 of 1998), the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, 2003 (Act No. 53 of 2003), the Co-operatives Act, 2005 (Act No. 14 of 2005) and the small, medium and micro-enterprise sector, including cooperatives; |
| (f) | the potential benefits of training and research and development with a view to the improvement of health service delivery; |
| (g) | the need to ensure that ownership of Emergency Medical Services does not create perverse incentives for service providers to over service patients or refer them inappropriately; |
| (h) | where applicable, the quality of health services rendered by the applicant in the past; and |
| (i) | where applicable, compliance with reporting requirements as set out in these Regulations in the past. |
