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The Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, together with senior officials of the department, unveiled the province’s festive season readiness plans at Hermanus Provincial Hospital last week.
Roché Laws, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Wellness in the Overberg, explained that every year the department prepared for increased trauma and emergency incidents that are associated with the festive season.
“This entails ensuring our emergency centres in our facilities and our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are well-equipped to manage this period of increased demand ahead of the province’s tourism season,” she said.
“Already, our health-care facilities have begun to decrease elective procedures to allow for the reallocation of sufficient resources to our emergency centres for the anticipated increase in medical (and trauma) incidents. These facilities have also taken the necessary steps to ensure a secured supply and inventories of projected consumables needs for the festive season.”
With EMS expecting to respond to an average 60 000 calls per day in the province between 15 December and 15 January, readiness plans are in place to ensure a speedy response, and patients are placed in the most appropriate facility in the shortest time resulting in the best possible outcome.
Laws stated that there will be strong emphasis on ensuring effective pre-hospital treatment, stabilisation for serious illness and injuries, and transport to definitive care for residents and visitors of the Western Cape.
To ensure that resources are optimally available over this period the following steps will be implemented:
• Availability of personnel, ambulances and rescue to respond to emergency incidents around the clock;
• Ambulances and rescue vehicles will be strategically placed along major highways that are notorious for major road traffic incidents;
• Crews, in collaboration with the province’s Emergency Communications Centres, will be placed at strategic points to promote road safety on the days where traffic is expected to reach its peak, starting from 15 December; and
• EMS will work in collaboration with the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Lifeguards SA on popular beach-going days such as 26 December and New Year’s Day.
Eye in the sky
The department also had an opportunity to showcase its innovative rural EMS drone programme, which has been expanded to service rural districts including the Overberg.
The Western Cape is the first province in South Africa to be allowed to fly drones legally as part of its EMS operations. Since 2020 the department has leveraged drone technology to deliver critical support during emergencies.
Equipped with high-definition cameras and other sensors, these drones provide real-time situational awareness to emergency services, enabling a swift, and informed response.
“Our specialist drone teams continue to play critical roles because they can reach inaccessible areas to search for missing individuals, provide real-time video feed to pinpoint the exact location of the individual and operate in complex environments that may be too dangerous for human first responders,” explained Laws.
In scenarios where individuals are stuck in a location that is hard to reach immediately by human first responders – such as on a mountain, in a flooded area or in a building on fire – drones can be used to deliver essential supplies. This may include first-aid kits, food, water, or communication devices.
Mbombo appealed to all residents and visitors to act responsibly when celebrating the festive season.
“In doing so,” said the minister, “you will help us to help those in need of health care. With health services traditionally working under increased pressure during this period we all must work together to protect the healthcare system, particularly during a time where resources are even more strained. As we celebrate the end of a long year, let us also thank all the law-enforcement and medical personnel who will be on duty during this time.”
