On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, our MD, Wahida Parker, joined Air Mercy Service (AMS), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Western Cape Minister of Health & Wellness, Professor Nomafrench Mbombo, at a mountain rescue exercise which was conducted at the end of Tafelberg Road, Table Mountain.

The AMS, operating since 1966, is an aero-medical service which provides healthcare services for critically ill or injured persons in Southern Africa. The AMS offers a complete package of air-ambulance, health outreach, and rescue services.

This training exercise was an opportunity for our health professionals to remain current in their skills and ensure that a high quality of service delivery is maintained. The event allowed all stakeholders who were present to give feedback on the festive season.

‘’During the festive season, AMS conducted a total of 87 missions as a partner to the Department of Health and Wellness. 52 emergencies were attended by the two AMS helicopters, which rescued people from mountain and wilderness terrain as well as the sea. Hikers were the most common group of people requiring assistance. The fixed-wing air ambulance transported 71 patients from rural areas during 35 missions’’, said the CEO of AMS, Mr. Farhaad Haffeeje.

Wahida shared the following, “We are enormously grateful for the wonderful support provided by stakeholders such as AMS, EMS and SANParks, to mountain users who are in distress over the past festive season. We look forward to strengthening these ties.”