Meetings, private trauma units, data and MVAs.

Well the last 3 days I've been busy with meetings, I had the pleasure to meet secertary of the Trauma society and head of Net.Care... now this highly competent lady runs the world as Ive been told and runs trauma in SA. Very productive meeting augmenting my knowledge of S Africa's trauma and the lack of a comprehensive trauma system.... more in my final paper!

Been catching up with the Prof K... great man!! And having trauma data meetings... statistics or lack of them in SA.... more in the final paper!

Today I spent time at a private trauma unit Net.Care MilPark. Impressive establishment - 4 resus bays which can go to 7. 8 nurses on duty. Unit see’s 30-60 patients daily. Approx 60-80 P1 traumas a month.

90 bedded ICU, 30 ICU trauma beds. Excellent burns unit the only private one in Africa so they get referrals from all over. The unit has its own theatre and ICU, they receive patients with 80-90% burns, survival rates 70-80%! This trauma unit is one of two that are just being accredited in SA now for a level 1 trauma unit. The first in legislation, hopefully this will ge the first of many to assist the SA trauma issues.

Driving back on the highway, some of the robots aka traffic lights do not work at busy junctions so its first come first served, whoever gets there first! I just missed and swerved a dumper track turning left into a minibus both going at significant speed….. the minibus was crushed into the dumper track… approx 10-12 casualties who where trying to get out. All eventually managed to get out through shattered windows or the front smashed end, one woman was trapped for longer but then freed. No P1 injuries surprisingly! I called Jan paramedic who called his teams to attend, interestingly a policeman arrived on his motorbike looked at the scene then left on his bike blue lighting somewhere else!!  20 minutes later no paramedics but the tow trucks arrived within minutes!!

Okay….. now out with Jan excellent paramedic with 18 years experience in JHB in the response car the evening shift!! J