Life Med Air Ambulance saving lives in Africa
The Life Med Air Ambulance is meeting the needs of our clients and patients and saving many lives in Africa. Aviation Medicine is fast becoming more important throughout the continent as many companies as well as businesses travel in Africa for business and tourism purposes. Many of the new developments in African countries are happening in remote areas where healthcare facilities are not easily accesible. In emergency situations the patient often faces a situation where the nearest healthcare facility is a long distance away from the scene of the emergency and it is essential for ther survival of these patients that they receive medical assistance as soon as possible.
The healthcare facilities in the rural parts of many African countries are in many cases can in many cases only care for primary healthcare needs of patients and are not equipped to treat patients with serious injuries or illness. Another problem is that the roads are often inaccessable to road ambulances and even if there are roads available, it can still take many hours to evacuate the patient to the correct medical facility.
Air Ambulances are aircraft – fixed wing or rotor blade – that are specially equipped to transport injured or sick patients. It is widely accepted that Aeromedical Services originated during the first World War and it was noted by French Military Health Officials that the mortality rate of the injured dropped from 60% to 10% if the injured soldiers were evacuated by air. The emphasis was on saving time to get the injured to a hospital where they could have access to immediate specialist care.
Most people in the main centres in South Africa have become accustomed to seeing a Helicopter land at an emergency scene to evacuate an injured patient to a hospital.
The Life Med Airwing is based at the Wonderboom National Airport and it is the only Air Ambulance that is operated from South Africa’s Capital. The Life Med Airwing operates a King Air 200 fixed wing aircraft and it is accesable to our clients and patients 24 hours per day. The Life Med Airwing can easily evacuate patients from anywhere in the country or from most Southern African countries to any of South Africa’s main centres for specialist medical care.
The Airwing operates with a Flight crew of two pilots and two Paramedics. The Paramedics are registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and are equipped to care for any patient from Neonatal to Geriatric patients, with Basic Life Support to Advanced Life Support requirements.
Contact our Flight Desk at 0861 086 911 or email willie@lifemed911.co.za or stephanie@lifemed911.co.za for any queries or quotations for transfers.
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