From rescuing fishermen clinging to an overturned boat in stormy seas, transferring a critically ill baby from a regional hospital to a specialised children's ward or flying health specialists into isolated areas, the SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service is changing lives, saving lives.

Established in 1966 by the SA Red Cross Society and formed into an independent trust in 1994, the AMS shares the principles and creed of the South African Red Cross Society. The AMS is a non-profit organisation with bases in the Western Cape (Cape Town & Oudtshoorn ), Northern Cape (Kimberley ), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban & Richards Bay ), Mpumalanga (Nelspruit ) and the Free State (Bloemfontein ) that provides an air ambulance network, rural health outreach and emergency rescue service to metropolitan areas and remote rural communities.

In a land characterised by vast distances, the AMS has become a vital conduit for delivery of regular healthcare services to peripheral areas. We work closely with the Provincial Departments of health and community health workers to assess needs, identify backlogs and implement appropriate healthcare programmes.

The AMS plays a vital role in providing not only emergency rescue and air ambulance services but also a community outreach programme taking critically needed healthcare to impoverished communities.

OUR ROLE

1. To manage and act as the overall coordinator of the aero-medical, emergency rescue service and rural health outreach in the various provinces in terms of assessing the needs, planning, day to day operations, monitoring and feedback to Provincial and National Health Authorities. 
2. To access the volunteer network (aero-medical) of the AMS where the Provincial Departments of Health cannot provide the necessary expertise.
3. To source funding to support the development and expansion of the service.

The AMS will provide help whenever and wherever it is needed. The AMS is committed to Changing Lives, Saving Lives.