On Tuesday 31 May 2011 we received a request for an urgent medical transfer from Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic to Morningside Medi-Clinic in Johannesburg. The emergency dispatcher immediately knew after receiving the information that the patient could not be transported by road. The incident was then handed over to the ER24 Emergency Flight Desk and a quick assessment was done. It was determined that we had to airlift the little patient to Johannesburg as soon as possible.
At this stage it is not exactly clear what is wrong with the little one, but it is believed that the patient has a critical medical condition that needs to be assessed and treated in Johannesburg and could only be transported in an incubator.
Paramedics on the Medicopter soon knew that they would have to face the challenge of landing at Morningside Medi-Clinic. There is currently no dedicated Melicopter pad at the hospital and the Medicopter had an alternative to land in the intersection outside the hospital. The ER24 Medicopter Ground Support Unit evaluated the landing zone and suggested that it would be safer and cause less disturbance if the Medicopter could land at Sandown High School. The ER24 Emergency Flight Desk immediately placed a call through to the school and requested permission to land on their rugby field. The school approved this and ensured that the rugby field was safe to land.
The Ground Support Unit that arrived at the school were greeted by a well-informed security guard at the main gate and proceeded to the rugby field. An ER24 Ambulance and Response Vehicle soon arrived to transport the patient from the Medicopter to Morningside Medi-Clinic.
ER24 and the Medicopter Pilot would wish to thank Sandown High School for providing us, without hesitation, a safe open area to land. We are convinced that their actions did not only assist us in getting the patient to the hospital with less effort, but also avoid huge traffic backlogs in and out of the Sandton CBD.
Kind Regards,
Werner Vermaak
Communications Manager
ER24 EMS
