Paramedics share their experience working through lockdown

Emer-G-Med paramedics looked back on the past year and shared a message with front-line workers.

While the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world, paramedics from all over Johannesburg carried on their tireless work to assist local communities.

Emer-G-Med paramedics Karien Naude and Alett Reed said their work had changed drastically throughout the pandemic. Reed said, “The pandemic has changed our procedures to a certain extent. We are one of the industries that have been PPE conscious, but obviously, it has escalated a lot more. Especially for patients who have Covid-19 or suspect Covid.

“So what that means is it has made our procedures much more stringent and it makes calls a bit longer, to ensure vehicles are sterilised and we are dressed properly before we treat the patient.”

They added that they noticed an immediate change following the initial hard national lockdown that was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March last year. Naude said when they went on duty, Johannesburg was eerily empty. “It was strange. We are so used to driving through traffic, and our calls [decreased] and we were watching the clock.”

Reed added, “It was a ghost town… When we saw places empty it was quite interesting. But one thing that we noticed is that the few people who were allowed to travel, they began breaking road rules… And then when everything opened up, they carried on with that behaviour. Many of those people actually caused or almost caused accidents.”

The biggest struggle they experienced throughout lockdown was the fear that Covid-19 had instilled in people who needed medical assistance for other injuries. Reed said there were instances where residents had suffered strokes or had taken a fall, but didn’t call paramedics or health professionals for fear of catching the virus.

One thing that assisted them throughout this period was the sense of community developed among all emergency services personnel.

Naude gave praise to her fellow healthcare workers. “We are part of a bigger family… We are hard people and we know nurses and doctors are as well. I’ve got so much respect for the healthcare workers. Not only hospital staff but also the police and firefighters. Everyone had to deal with these changes in circumstances, demands from the public and government. Hats off to everyone that persevered.”

Reed added, “My message is that my hope is that everyone remembers that we are a big family and everyone can reach out. None of us knows what the future is going to bring. But we should all reach out to each other.”