Provincial health chiefs have reminded ouers to keep their kids safe and out of harm’s way during the upcoming December school holidays.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Department (WCDHW) on Monday said that its health platforms are prepared to respond to the increased pressure during the festive season.
Hosted at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, the department briefed the media on its Festive Readiness Plan and nuwe state-of-the-art equipment and hi-tech gadgets.
Health MEC Mireille Wenger, WCDHW Chief Operating Officer Dr Saadiq Kariem, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital CEO Dr Anita Parbhoo, WCDHW Director: Emergency & Clinical Services Support Dr Juanita Arendse, provincial Director of EMS Craig Wylie, at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital were all present.
Dr Juanita Arendse said in terms of children’s safety, a critical challenge during the summer season were pedestrian accidents, drownings or near drownings incidents.
Dr Kariem said during last year’s festive season, from 15 December to 15 January, roughly 120 000 people were seen at Emergency Centres (EC) within the province.
Dr Parbhoo said apart from drownings, near drownings and pedestrian accidents, incidents affecting children were sometimes preventable if children were supervised.
She says: “Children who are not at school and unfortunately are sometimes not supervised and running in the road or playing in areas because there isn't somewhere safe for them to play and unfortunately get knocked down.
“And then we also see the other usual things that happen such as children coming in with gunshot wounds and we also have the usual array of children being children, falling off bicycles, falling off trees, breaking their arm.”
In terms of EMS readiness, Wylie said there were 53 EMS stations across the province, with around 254 ambulances and a large fleet of auxiliary vehicles, such as response vehicles which included motorcycles.
Minister Wenger urged the public to keep emergency contacts at hand at all times.
She also thanked healthcare workers who will be working during the festive period.
Wenger says: “We are truly grateful for their commitment and under difficult circumstances and immense pressure.”
Trauma cases formed a significant part of the case load, with 30 500 people presenting with trauma-related incidents.
He “We all know that alcohol plays a huge role in contributing to that trauma. We know that alcohol, from our perspective, is the third largest contributor of mortality at least and of disability.”
“We want to appeal to people to use alcohol responsibly, that plays a significant role in trauma, drownings, fatalities etc.”
Last year over the same period, the province recorded 450 homicides directly attributed to gunshot wounds, stabbings, and blunt assault, and 130 road fatalities.
Of the 30 500 trauma-related incidents, around 521 were gunshot wounds, 7 000 blunt assaults, and 5 500 were stabbings. There were also 200 sexual offences cases.
He added that preparation for the festive seasons commences months in advance, in ensuring there are sufficient staff and consumables.
In terms of EMS readiness, Wylie said there were 53 EMS stations across the province, with around 254 ambulances and a large fleet of auxiliary vehicles, such as response vehicles which included motorcycles.
Wylie said the Drone Unit deploys drones to detect injured persons along mountains and wilderness areas. The drones are equipped with night vision and heat sensors able to detect people and reach them much faster. Just recently, a drone was able to guide someone down the mountain and required no additional human resources to be deployed. The drone also allowed for visuals to be obtained of larger incidents and assess how to appropriately respond.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za