Provincial health services boosted by EMS graduates
This new qualification will enable the students to resuscitate cardiac arrest patients and perform uncomplicated breech deliveries.
A total of 74 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) officers graduated from the College of Emergency Care – KZN on Saturday.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu congratulated the officers during a formal ceremony held at the Dundee Civic Hall.
The EMS officers successfully completed a four-month skills-based course, which included upskilling from Basic Life Support (BLS) to Intermediate Life Support (ILS).
This new qualification will enable the students to resuscitate cardiac arrest patients and perform uncomplicated breech deliveries.
The MEC said this would significantly improve service deliver and quality care for patients.
“It means that from today onwards, the people of KZN now have an enhanced level of pre-hospital patient management.”
The paramedics are now skilled and competent in providing intermediate medical interventions, including:
– Nebulisation of patients with specified medication
– Administration of scheduled drugs
– Administering drips for dehydrated both adult and paediatric patients
– Administration of oxygen with specified devices
– Resuscitation of patients in both cardiac arrest and non-cardiac arrest situations
– Defibrillation in certain cardiac arrest situations
– Management of patients with a decompression of the chest
– Conducting uncomplicated breech delivery and normal delivery during labour.
There are 2 503 dedicated paramedics employed in the province, which makes this one of the largest in the country.
MEC Simelane-Zulu said the graduation took place at a very important time, when changes were being implemented to take EMS to the next level.
All short courses offered by public colleges are being phased out through the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
She explained this was being done in order to align qualifications with South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), to professionalise EMS education and training and effect an overall improvement in standards.
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