The helicopter is temporarily operating from George Airport, but will move to the town of Oudtshoorn soon. Furthermore a helipad will be constructed at the METRO Ambulance Base at Oudtshoorn Provincial Hospital within the next few months.
The new helicopter complements the existing ground ambulance service by providing immediate access to Advanced Life Support (ALS) for critically ill or injured patients in the eastern part of the Western Cape Province.
Oudtshoorn was chosen due to its central location in terms of serving rural communities, ease of access to referral hospitals, as well as its close proximity to the N1 and N2 highways, which have a notoriously high motor vehicle accident rate.
If a critical patient needs to be transferred from the Leeu Gamka area to a suitable medical care facility in George, it would only take the helicopter 30 minutes from Oudtshoorn to reach the patient and then 40 minutes transport time to George. The alternative road patient transport would take approximately three hours via Beaufort West to George, excluding referral time at Beaufort West Hospital.
The helicopter will ideally cover a 200 km radius from its base at Oudtshoorn Provincial Hospital and service Beaufort West, Calitzdorp, Heidelberg, Knysna, Ladismith, Laingsburg, Leeu Gamka, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay, Prince Albert, Riversdale and Uniondale.
Its lift-off time will be 5 minutes for emergency scene calls, and 10 minutes for inter-hospital transfers.
In addition to the Oudtshoorn Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, a rotor wing (helicopter) and fixed wing (plane) air ambulance operates from Cape Town International. The rotor wing service provides cost effective coverage of the Boland/Overberg, the Metropole as well as three quarters of the Western Coast. Long distance evacuations (200 km – 500 km distances) are covered by the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.
“The aim is to provide a seamless aero-medical service to all communities of the Western Cape Province,” says Pierre Uys.
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