New Year’s Eve in the Victoria Hospital ER with ‘Dr Bulletproof’

While most of us are out partying on New Year’s eve, these men and women are on duty dealing with drunken shenanigans, car accidents and vegetables in unmentionable places.

Victoria Hospital’s Emergency Unit director Dr Grant Lindsay said his team has no time to celebrate on the last night of the year, as the 12-hour shift is always busy.

“We have seen everything from a kid stealing a taxi and driving over two other children in the garden to the usual car accidents and at least one heart attack every year,” said the tall, entertaining Dr Lindsay.

“The worst New Year’s case I have had was a drunk patient who came in with a gem squash up his bum. I had to pull it out with those old fashioned forceps used to deliver babies. That was terrible!”

The adventurous doctor started working at the emergency unit exactly four years ago, by accident.

“After working on an Ebola project in Africa, I arrived in Durban for a holiday in December 2014. A couple hours after I arrived, a guy called me and said they needed someone in the trauma unit. I went in at midnight to help and have been here ever since,” said Dr Lindsay, who has worked all over the world from a mission hospital in Botswana to a research vessel in the Antarctic.

“I am bulletproof. I worked on cruise ships for ten years which was very hard work, but we lived like kings. Then I spent five years on oil rigs which was hectic – there are no small injuries on oil rigs. Either nothing happened and I could read my book all day or something major took place like a fatal accident or an amputation.”

The father of three children said he felt at home at Victoria Hospital and was proud of how far they had come.

“When I started here, this unit was basically a building site. Now we have a full team and I am chuffed to say that we have never turned someone away, unless they were drunk and aggressive to the staff.

“Even if a patient does not have medical aid, we stabilise them before sending them to a government hospital.

“Victoria Hospital was the first private Indian hospital in SA and our hospital manager, Jenny Meer, is very aware of the community we serve. It is a good feeling to be so close to the community.”

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram