Netcare 911 acknowledges women in the emergency operations centre
The EOCs are located in Midrand, Sunninghill, Milpark, and Centurion to name a few and the team's primary responsibility is to locate and dispatch the closest emergency care vehicle to the scene of the emergency.
In honour of Women’s Month, Netcare 911 acknowledges the women in the emergency operations centre (EOC).
Netcare 911 operates an EOC that serves as the first point of contact for individuals requiring emergency medical assistance.
The EOC is staffed by a team of highly skilled and multilingual professionals, many of whom are women.
The EOCs are located in Midrand, Sunninghill, Milpark, and Centurion to name a few and the team’s primary responsibility is to locate and dispatch the closest emergency care vehicle to the scene.
According to Ayanda Mkhulisi, a registered nurse and Netcare 911 case manager, the job can be challenging, as they often receive calls from children who are scared and alone, reporting that ‘something is wrong with mommy’.
“In such cases, the EOC team is all the children have until the ambulance arrives on the scene.”
Mkhulisi provides primary healthcare advice to callers and coordinates emergency care for each incident response or interhospital transfer.
In life-threatening emergencies, she guides callers through first aid steps to help the patient until an ambulance arrives.
Selinah Gauwe, an inbound resource coordinator at the EOC in Sunninghill, emphasises that a career in emergency medical services requires a strong heart full of compassion and respect since people call for help during their most stressful and vulnerable times.
Gauwe said she always wanted a healthcare career from a young age as she loved helping people.
“As a child, I treated my dolls, wishing to be a nurse or doctor. That passion grew in me and I dreamed of studying radiography, but financially it wasn’t possible. I knew I was needed in emergency care and now I don’t see myself in any other field- although I would like to further my studies,” she explained.
“Emergency medical services are challenging but also very rewarding. When people need it most, we are their hope. At any time of day or night, we are here to help, and this has made me love working in EMS even more.”
Zita van Zyl, deputy head of Netcare 911’s EOC, highlighted how technology, compassion and healthcare are coming together to improve emergency medical services.
“The EOC team handles calls in all South African languages and has a growing list of international languages. The team also provides virtual consultations, enabling them to coach callers to perform lifesaving CPR via video call,” said Van Zyl.
She concluded that women make up most of the EOC frontline agents who answer inbound emergency calls, and it is encouraging to see so many women entering advanced life support programmes.
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