Emergency Services take to the skies to advance accessible healthcare
Ahead of the peak season, Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, visited the Western Cape Government’s emergency air service partner, SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service (AMS) headquarters. This partnership ensures that the provincial government can provide residents with essential air ambulance services for patients in rural and outlying areas needing urgent highly specialised medical care at tertiary hospitals, airlift for injured road users following road traffic crashes, and rescue operations on both land and sea.
During her visit, Minister Wenger engaged with AMS senior management to gain valuable insights into the critical role the organisation plays in delivering life-saving and life-enhancing healthcare services to the residents of the Western Cape.
Minister Wenger noted, “The highly specialised and critical work of the AMS team ensures that healthcare becomes more accessible, especially for patients in rural and remote areas. The Western Cape spans a vast geographical area, and this partnership is fundamental to our commitment to delivering timely, equitable healthcare services to all residents, regardless of where they are. Remarkably, air transport reduces travel time to approximately a third of what it would take by road, ensuring faster access to life-saving care.”
AMS, an independent non-profit organisation, supports rescue operations on both land and sea. With two helicopters—one based in Cape Town and the other in Oudtshoorn—and a fixed-wing aircraft, AMS ensures that patients from the West Coast to the Garden Route to the Central Karoo can access advanced medical care in a fraction of the time it would take to travel by road.
Farhaad Haffejee, AMS’s Chief Executive Officer, said, "As we approach the festive season, AMS in partnership with the Western Cape Government, is fully prepared to continue delivering the highest standard of care and support to the communities of the Western Cape. With our dedicated team and advanced fleet, we are ready to provide rapid, life-saving air rescue and medical services, from urban centres to the most remote rural areas. Our mission remains clear: to ensure that every person in need of urgent medical care receives the support they deserve, wherever they are.”
Over the past decade, the Western Cape Government, through AMS services has transported more than 11 600 patients, conducted 977 rescue missions, and responded to emergencies ranging from neonatal and obstetric crises to vehicle crash scenes. In the fixed wing aircraft, more than 26% of all patients flown were children. Additionally, as medical technology has advanced, AMS has evolved its operations, incorporating innovations like high-flow nasal oxygen therapy and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to provide top-tier care during transport which has shown improved outcomes for children in particular.
In addition, these teams do mountain and sea rescues, ensuring hikers and sea goers in hard to reach areas receive critical assistance when they are injured or are in life-threatening situations. This includes airlifting individuals to safety, often from challenging terrains such as steep cliffs and mountains or open waters, where traditional rescue methods are not feasible and where every second counts.
Minister Wenger concluded, “Accessibility to equitable healthcare is the guiding principle of the Western Cape’s health strategy and mission. Partnerships with the private sector and non-profit organisations like AMS are essential in ensuring we can provide timely, quality medical services to those who need them most. Together, we are bringing healthcare closer to the people to ensure that no one is left behind.”