Medical rescue helicopters are crucial in emergencies, but shockingly there is only one in KZN with a doctor on board.
Head of emergency medicine in KZN, Dr Darryl Wood is based at Ngwelezane hospital emergency department, Empangeni and works with Red Cross aeromedical service to offer this unique service.
“Having a doctor in the air, means we have a faster response time and we can provide a higher level of care,” he said.
The right equipment is also vital, which is where Dr Matt Gunning, CEO of the Ballito based trauma equipment company Prometheus Medical Africa, comes into play.
“I believe the creation of a doctor paramedic helicopter service is absolutely vital to our province, where we are facing not only a trauma epidemic, but also often limited resources and vast traveling distances,” said Dr Gunning, who worked on helicopter services internationally.
“Helicopters bring critical care interventions directly to the patient,” said Dr Gunning.
For this reason, Prometheus Medical Africa is partnering with Dr Wood to support his work with the Red Cross in getting doctors on board the rescue helicopters.
“We hope that our donation of our medical bag filled with our trauma products will help to improve the standard of trauma care in the province and save lives,” said Dr Gunning.
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