Emergency Medical Sciences students have helped to combat human trafficking by raising awareness on how to prevent falling victim to modern day slavery.

A group of students from the second-year Bachelor of Emergency Care class has partnered with anti-human trafficking organisation, A21, and conducted presentations at a number of events during the year.
To increase their reach, they also conducted an interview on Bok Radio.
The students undertook the project as part of the requirements for the subject of Primary Health Care.
The group consisted of Angelique Groenewald, Ed-Ruleen Kondowe, Guy Schiever, Jarred Brown, Ju-waldt Sieberhagen and Michael Watson,
“Presentations were always received well, with many people coming forward afterwards and asking questions or to schedule a follow up presentation. Information booths enabled us to connect more personally with people by engaging in one-on-one conversation. It was incredible to see how little people know about a crime that is so prevalent in their communities and even more so to be afforded the opportunity to educate them about the unseen dangers that face them,” Guy said.

For more information on A21, go to: https://www.a21.org/content/south-africa/gnr2js?permcode=gnr2js

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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First-year Emergency Medical Science students were put through their paces during an intense week-long orientation programme.

The students participated in a variety of simulated encounters that included crawling through stormwater drains and scaling down buildings.

Organised by a group of second-year students, the orientation was designed to test their readiness for the challenging careers they have chosen.

One of the event organisers, George Erasmus says while a number of the events took place off-campus, they also made use of on campus facilities.

CHALLENGE: A first-year Emergency Medical Science student prepares to climb into a stormwater drain on the Bellville Campus

The Engineering Building was put to good use as students were tasked to scale down the building. The group of 60 first-years also had to crawl through stormwater pipes located near the university’s main entrance.

Other activities include an 8km hike down Sir Lowry’s pass, a swimming exercise in the ocean and various other physical tests.

However, the week has not fazed the first-year group, but has left them looking forward to the 2013 academic year.

First-year student Mzwanele Mhlubulwana says he is eager to complete the course.

“This is a whole new experience for me and I am looking forward to what lies ahead,” he says.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT’s Emergency Medical Sciences Department recently held a successful five-day Aviation Rescue Course for its second-year students.

The course took place at various locations that are relevant to the Emergency Medical Sciences industry and culminated in an intense practical exercise at Melkbosstrand in which students performed a simulated sea rescue under realistic physical conditions.

Key role-players included the South African Red Cross Air Mercy Services (AMS), National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), South African Police Services Air Wing, the 22nd Squadron at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base and CPUT’s Survival Centre.

To kick-start the programme, on 1 March 2010, a pilot from AMS addressed students about understanding the limitations of aircraft and what information is required in managing them.

Basic understanding of rotor and fixed wing aircraft anatomy and flight dynamics, priorities of emergency procedures and principles for managing procedures and Fixed Wing Rescue capabilities were among the areas covered.

On the second day the students went to the AMS office at the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) and later moved to the Survival Centre at the Granger Bay campus.

Part of the syllabus included information about equipment requirements, emergency aviation safety and the use for hoist operations when conducting a rescue.

The second day also covered hoist crew composition, details of crew selection and information required to activate an Aviation Rescue Operation.

For the third and fourth day, the students moved both to the SAPS Air Wing, also situated at CTIA and the 22nd Squadron at the Airforce Base, where they continued learning about Helicopter Underwater Escape and Ground to Air Signaling.

According to Robin Heneke, a second-year lecturer and a programme coordinator, the students had thorough grounding in the aviation rescue environment and overall the course was a great success.

The week-long course ended on 5 March 2010, with the practical exercise at the NSRI base in Melkbosstrand.

Each student was required to demonstrate practically what he or she had learnt about the aviation rescue environment.

For the practical, the students were expected to show theoretical understanding of the mission requirements and crew interactions for sling operations.

Besides showing an understanding to the multiple factors, which come into effect during a rescue mission, the students were also required to have practical exposure to the hoist operations.

Heneke said: “Students had exposure working with various aviation rescue organisations that are currently offering services in the aviation environment.

“The whole course was very informative, but the last day was great. The feedback we got from the students was amazing, they really did not just learn to cover the course outcomes, but they enjoyed themselves too.”

By Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT and the Western Cape Government Department of Health have signed an important agreement pertaining to teaching, training and research opportunities for students in the health sciences.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, and the Head of Health in the Western Cape, Dr Keith Cloete. signed the Bilateral Agreement (BLA) on 19 November.

Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, said the agreement is essential “to ensure the ongoing education of students in our programmes that need access to the provincial clinical platform for the workplace learning component of the programme”.

She said the signing of the BLA follows a Multi-Lateral Agreement (MLA) signed between five parties: Western Cape Government Health, CPUT, Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape, a few years ago.

“The MLA is an agreement to establish the rules of engagement for the education of healthcare professionals at the four higher education institutions, in cooperation with the Department of Health in the province, so as to ensure equitable access to the clinical platform.”

Following the signing of the MLA there was a lengthy process of engagement until each institution signed a BLA with the Western Cape Government: Health.

“The BLAs at the four higher education institutions are premised on the 12 principles agreed to between the parties and move us in the direction of a strong partnership with a more equitable approach to funding, student placements, joint appointments, etc.”

The departments within the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences that are directly involved are Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences and Emergency Medical Sciences while Nursing will also be an important stakeholder in the agreement. Engel-Hills said Dental Sciences has peripheral involvement and Ophthalmic Sciences may become part of the agreement with the offering of new programmes.

In a post on the Western Cape Government Health Facebook page, Dr Saadiq Kariem, Western Cape Government Health Chief of Operations, described the signing as a historic moment and stated: “This agreement will establish governance structures between CPUT and Western Cape Government Health. We have an existing platform, but now we have a formal agreement on what our students will do in our facilities, a code of training, the types of training they will receive and from whom they can expect training”.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Covid-19 restrictions have spurred the Emergency Medical Sciences Department to introduce a digital platform for conducting interviews with prospective students.

The department is employing a locally developed solution, which allows prospective students to do an online virtual interview, at their own time and place.

John Meyer, Interim Faculty IT Coordinator: Health and Wellness Sciences, says the platform eliminates the need for applicants to travel to the interview. It also reduces the resources required by the Department to sit through a face to face interview with each candidate.

“Not only will this save us significant time, but it also means that each candidate goes through exactly the same interview experience, consistently, and allows us to be able to automatically interview as many candidates as we require at any one time.”

More than 300 candidates from all over South Africa and Africa will be interviewed.

“We will also be using the platform for virtual clinical simulation and as a video portfolio of learning during the year,” says Meyer.

The platform is compatible with all mobile devices and uses very little data.

The students will have three days to start the interview and will have one hour to complete the interview.

“We are then able to review the video answers of each candidate and decide on the next step in the process. It enables us to do volume recruitment online and will assist us in accelerating the student placements according to our timeframes and requirements.”

Meyer added that the language unit played an important role in translation and ensuring that the English is pitched at the right level for the candidates.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Inspiring hope was at the heart of a recent Service-Learning project in the Southern Cape town of Mossel Bay.

The Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Unit, under the leadership of Jacqui Scheepers, recently joined forces with the Faculty of Education, Wellington Campus, and the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences for the Hearts of Hope, Health and Happiness project.

Mossel Bay is one of the areas where the Faculty of Education’s students do their practice teaching and Department of English lecturers, Valencia Theys and Dr Hanlie Dippenaar, heard about a soup kitchen that was started in Asla Park during the lockdown. It was started by Pastor Thys Wagenaar from the Filippense Christian Church, Community of Africa, Angelina Wagenaar and Mary-Ann Michaels and feeds around 50 children twice a week.

“The learners were previously beneficiaries of feeding schemes at their schools but were now going hungry. Pastor Wagenaar and his team purchased food and supplies from their own pockets and rose at 4 am to cook the meals, before they went to work to earn a living,” said Dippenaar.

The two lecturers approached the SLCE Unit to conceptualise an intervention and the project was born. Students created motivational posters of hope for the Asla Park learners while Scheepers assisted in securing donations from local businesses who supplied vegetables and fresh fish to feed the learners.

Theresa Burns from the SLCE Unit contributed learning materials and other items which they transported from Cape Town to Mossel Bay.

Lovetta Bolters from Camissa Solutions, who is engaged in a broad range of community projects in Mossel Bay, partnered with CPUT and contributed care packs, transport and accommodation costs.

“The learners were invited for an afternoon of fun and educational games on 7 October where they received the posters and goodie bags. Bolters presented an inspirational message to the learners, telling them that they ‘matter very much’. Theys played educational games with the learners and, joined by two postgraduate students from the Faculty of Education, conveyed the students’ messages of hope and support,” said Scheepers.

The programme was supported by CPUT’s EMS Department Head, Lloyd Christopher, who invited EMS Master’s student Daniel Tilley, who is based at the Western Cape Government in George, to facilitate a session on health and safety. Tilley reminded the learners of the importance of safety during COVID-19 and taught them about the paramedic services. After the event Wagenaar and Michaels provided a warm meal to the learners. 

Scheepers said the highlight of the event was the feedback from students that working across disciplines was an enriching learning opportunity that gave them broader insight.

Scheepers thanked Grandslots for their support.

*The SLCE Unit supports staff and students across faculties and departments and advises on ways to collaborate with government agencies and community-based organisations in implementing relevant projects in urban and rural locations. Such projects are important experiential learning opportunities for students and enable the university to contribute to society in its aim to be an engaged and relevant university. 

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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As the global community continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, our health workers have emerged as the heroes of this crisis. Among them are many of our very own CPUT students who are working selflessly to help others. Some are risking their own lives at the frontlines.

Students from the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences have heeded the call for help by health authorities by manning ambulances and the recently erected temporary hospitals. Others have volunteered to assist in various non-clinical roles such as manning the telephones in the call-centre.

This week we are telling their stories in their own words. Today we tell the stories of two student volunteers at the Covid-19 Hotline.

Benjamin Grant, third-year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) student:

"Before the lockdown even started, we as BEMC students knew we would one day become a part of the fight against the coronavirus and thus submission forms were circulated to allow a database to be set up of students willing to volunteer.

Many filled in the forms with the hope they would be able to assist in any way possible when called upon.

Just two days after lockdown began, I was called by a representative of the METRO College to tell me that my opportunity to volunteer had arrived. We were instructed to report to Tygerberg Hospital Disaster Management Centre, where we would work at the Covid-19 Hotline call centre. The Hotline was created to assist the public with education, telephonic screening and assistance, where possible, and with all general enquiries around the lockdown and the virus.

We are working alongside students from UCT and Stellenbosch (University) and high-risk nurses and doctors, with the same mindset of wanting to help wherever they can. We volunteer for shifts far enough in advance to ensure our school priorities are not inhibited and work either day or night shifts (as the call centre runs 24 hours).

After some time, I and a few others moved from taking calls on the hotline to calling back patients to let them know their results, positive or negative, and to assist with enquiries or educating the patients to ensure the slowing of the spread of Covid-19.

Working alongside a group of like-minded individuals, all which hope to assist in the fight against the coronavirus, has truly been inspirational and highly educational, all while meeting new and interesting people and even making friends and helping the community to the best of our abilities.

The fight against the coronavirus is far from over, however, I am proud to be serving my community while representing CPUT at the Covid-19 Hotline and I will keep volunteering until my help is no longer required."

Jamie Shrimpton, Second-Year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care student

"My name is Jamie and I am a second-year student studying towards a Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care at CPUT. During this pandemic, CPUT’s BEMC programme and other medical programmes have been given an opportunity to volunteer at the Tygerberg Disaster Management Centre, working on the COVID-19 Hotline.

This has given me an opportunity to be involved in the industry whereas I would usually be working on the road while studying alongside my peers.

I am enjoying this thoroughly. Disaster Management is extremely welcoming towards all the students involved and it also gives us a great opportunity to network with students and qualified practitioners that we would not usually see.

At the COVID-19 Hotline we provide advice, screening, and protocols to members of the public, as well as to practitioners and other essential services. We are in contact with the police, traffic services and other government essential services, which gives us the variety of views that come from each industry regarding the pandemic, as well as the many information resources that come along with it.

South Africa will make it through this pandemic, and this is evident to me by the tireless hours, our emergency services and hospitals are putting in, of which the general public might not be entirely privy to. The Western Cape Disaster Management specifically is running a system that many consider to be a top standard in managing this pandemic and is reassuring to witness first-hand."

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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As the global community continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, our health workers have emerged as the heroes of this crisis. Among them are many of our very own CPUT students who are working selflessly to help others. Some are risking their own lives at the frontlines.

Students from the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences have heeded the call for help by health authorities by manning ambulances and the recently erected temporary hospitals. Others have volunteered to assist in various non-clinical roles such as manning the telephones in the call-centre.

This week we are telling their stories in their own words. Today, we tell the story of a Fourth-Year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care student:

"As a healthcare worker, full-time student, husband and father, it has been and still is a stressful time during this pandemic. What was previously normal, is no longer normal. It is an unknown time that all of us as a country, province, communities and families have entered into. Because of the uncertainty, fear and change in our daily activities, these times are even more unbearable.

As a full-time student, my normal routine before the pandemic was that my daily activities would start by waking up at 5 am and then travelling to Bellville to attend class from 9 am until 4 pm. I would then arrive at home every day at around 6 pm and start preparing to perform my religious duties until 9 pm. Now all creches, schools and universities are closed. I now have to report as a full-time healthcare worker, and this means dealing with the pandemic itself.

The pandemic alone is not as stressful as the baggage it brings with it. These are more stressful times than ever before because what was seen as normal is no longer, like waking up at 4 am instead of 5 am and a day that started at 9 am until 4 pm is now from 7 am until 7 pm. Whereas I normally arrived at home at 6 pm, I now arrive at 8:30 pm and this only occurs on a day where I don’t receive a late call.

When arriving at home during “normal times”, I would first greet my family and sit down and tell them how my day was and spend some time with my child. Now I will go straight to shower before I even say hello to my family. It is so difficult to explain to a one-year-and-11-month-old baby that whatever was normal before is no longer normal. Like going to the park, taking her to ride on her tricycle or just going for ice cream is no longer normal.  

Then there is the fact that I feel that there is no guarantee that I won’t get the virus.  The worst thing that can happen is getting the virus and coming home not knowing that I have contracted the virus although I have tried to be safe on duty and off duty. The fact that I am dealing with these cases will make me believe that I have brought the virus home.

This idea alone is eating me up inside because there is an innocent family at home waiting for a father and husband to come home. And, with the seasons changing, any cough will make you think of the virus. These things psychologically drain you as a person.

When working with patients that are confirmed positive, you as a practitioner can feel, at times, that whatever you are doing is not right. When contacting the patient, where you used to perform assessments, now suddenly you have to have minimal contact with patients that are confirmed or under investigation. This is totally opposite to what was taught over the years, where we are clinically driven. Where there is even an instance where a patient will be screened as a possible case, we must leave the scene to fetch an ambulance that is designated for possible and confirmed cases. Normally this would constitute patient abandonment. At times you as a practitioner feel inhumane, because of policies and protocols that need to be followed.

Although service delivery is very important, working and studying full-time is affecting me as a student, husband, and father due to outcomes that I don’t meet or while I do meet these outcomes, it is not up to an acceptable standard. This is mainly due to limited time that is available and trying to play it safe in the sense of not allowing this whole situation to lead to burnout, which is likely to occur.

*Name has been withheld to protect identity.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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As the global community continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, our health workers have emerged as the heroes of this crisis. Among them are many of our very own CPUT students who are working selflessly to help others. Some are risking their own lives at the front lines.

Students from the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences have heeded the call for help by health authorities by manning the ambulances and the recently and at temporary hospitals. Others have volunteered to assist in various non-clinical roles such as manning the telephones in the call-centre.

This week we are telling their stories in their words. This is the story of Andria Nerine Willemse, a volunteer at the Provincial Covid hotline:

“I am a fourth-year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care student and as such it has been a privilege for me to volunteer at the Provincial Covid hotline. When the opportunity arose to offer our help to the community by volunteering, I did not hesitate. Our role in the Covid hotline call centre is to take calls and provide advice under the supervision of professors, doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Disaster Risk Management, a fourth-year rescue module, teaches students the various roles paramedics can occupy during a disaster, how systems work, and includes the basic understanding of the Disaster Management Act. Being part of the call centre team, you work hand in hand with the disaster management staff as well as police and traffic officers for guidance on legal matters. This provides an invaluable opportunity to gain insight into how operations are coordinated with the different departments.

In the office, we all continue to motivate each other during these uncertain times.  Being a paramedic student, it is in my nature to provide help to the community where I can but since our clinical practice module has been placed on hold because of lockdown, this seemed to be the only way I as a student could contribute during this pandemic. We are a few students from different medical fields volunteering at the call centre. This has provided us with the chance to have educational discussions about the virus and our experiences in the call centre over the past weeks.

As time has gone by and the lockdown has developed it has expanded the expectations of the call centre and increased the amount of calls encountered daily. The world is dealing with a virus where the research is changing and updating daily, leaving communities in a vulnerable position. This, to their credit, does not stop our first responders from doing their job the best way they know how to, which makes it my priority to do my part at the call centre the best way I know how to. It can be rewarding but it can also be overwhelming. This is uncertain territory that we are treading on, and it is scary in different ways for each individual, but I have decided not to let that stop me from doing what I love in the best way possible. Since Covid-19 has been declared a pandemic, the world as we know it has changed.

As a student I know it is difficult to stay motivated during this time but let’s keep the steam train running.

Keep safe!

Wash your hands and wear your masks."

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The CPUT Emergency Medical Sciences Department is proving to be a leader in the training of highly skilled paramedics.

Recently, ER24, a national private emergency medical service provider, applauded the standard of teaching and learning at CPUT.

The praise for the department came just days after three first-year students assisted a CPUT student who collapsed while jogging at the Bellville campus running track.

Joseph Roberts, Brain Allchin, and Garth van Eck, who are all in their first year of study, said they were able to assist the student by applying exactly what they had learnt in class.

Roberts, who witnessed the student collapse at the Bellville running track said: “I immediately rushed over and felt for a pulse. I then asked his friend to call for help.”

Second on the scene was Allchin, who alerted ER24 for the dispatch of an ambulance.

Van Eck was then notified of the incident via cellphone by Allchin.

“I was asked to go to the institution’s entrance and direct the ambulance to the running track,” he said.

The ER24, paramedic that responded to the call, applauded the students for taking charge of the situation.

In a letter to the Emergency Medical Sciences Department, ER24 officials stated that the students showed “excellent insight and knowledge in the dynamics of emergency medical care.”

ER24 officials said the students’ quick response and initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) contributed to a good prognosis of the student.

“This is an excellent reflection of the standard of training and education at the University,” stated ER24 officials.

Lloyd Christopher, Head of the Department, said training is hands-on. Students are also required to work at emergency services and at hospitals on weekends throughout the duration of the three-year programme.

Currently, CPUT is the only institution in the Western Cape offering the programme.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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As the global community continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, our health workers have emerged as the heroes of this crisis. Among them are many of our very own CPUT students who are working selflessly to help others. Some are risking their own lives at the frontlines.

Students from the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences have heeded the call for help by health authorities by manning ambulances and the recently erected temporary hospitals. Others have volunteered to assist in various non-clinical roles such as manning the telephones in the call-centre.

Over the next few days, they will be telling their stories in their own words. The first story is from a Fourth-Year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care student:

“I am a CPUT student on the Bachelor of Emergency Medical care programme and I am also an emergency care technician at Emergency Medical Services. I am currently working permanently on the designated COVID-19 vehicle at my base. This means that every call I do on every shift is either a confirmed positive case or a suspected case of coronavirus.

I have to vigorously wipe my ambulance down after every single call and allow my vehicle to air for 30 minutes. I have to wear uncomfortable personal protective equipment for every call I do – this consists of an apron, a visor, a mask and gloves. All of which are currently in short supply within the EMS system. This means that I, all too often, have to reuse and recycle PPE, which is most unhygienic and unethical towards my patients.

 Every day, I change into other clothes in the parking lot at the base so as to avoid contaminating my personal vehicle and possibly infecting my family. I am constantly fighting with my colleagues about COVID-19 calls as everyone is refusing to do them as they are scared. My call volumes are reaching levels that are impossible for one vehicle alone to do.

I am being pushed to my limits. I have regular fights every day at hospitals regarding correct PPE and procedures when it is not my fault. I have to fight at hospitals just to give me an apron because I am only issued one for an entire shift and it needs to be changed after every patient I touch. I am expected to wear an N95 mask for seven days straight.

When I air my vehicle for 30 minutes, I sit with my laptop and try my best to complete some studies as there is simply not enough time. I am a father of two small children, a fiancé to an amazing woman and a dad to four dogs – all of whom, I can possibly infect and harm. This places enormous stress on me every single day of my life.

On top of this, I am participating in full-time studies for my degree. Something I have been dedicating my life to for the past three years. I have not failed a single subject in my time at CPUT. I have been dreaming about becoming an Emergency Care Practitioner since 2013. My shift cycles interfere immensely with my studies. I am expected to put in 10-15 hours a week into my studies, whilst working 168 hours on the ambulance.

Being a final year on this degree is hard enough under normal circumstances, but now it is next to impossible. I refuse to give up or quit and I will push until I physically and mentally cannot anymore. It is my dream to serve my community in every way that I possibly can, and I will not let anything stop me.”

*Name has been withheld to protect identity.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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CPUT’s commitment to nurturing post-graduate students and increasing research outputs has been given a boost, thanks to a partnership with the Professional Provident Society (PPS).

The Centre for Emergency Medical Science (EMS) Graduate Studies is now officially up and running. 

Lloyd Christopher, EMS Head of Department says this state-of-the-art resource will create a “think-tank” environment, where graduate students can collaborate, share research and host brainstorming sessions.

“We’re tremendously grateful to PPS for their help in making this centre a reality. It will serve as a dedicated venue to develop our graduates as thought-leaders by facilitating research in the emerging EMS field. The modern, tech-friendly hub will be an incubator for inter-disciplinary collaboration and host focus group discussions, tutorials, internet research and be used by the students for forging bonds and socialising.”

PPS’s Marketing Manager, Blaize Ovies, emphasised that their investment in the centre makes great sense, as PPS’s services are tailored exclusively for graduate professionals. A large part of their financial solutions involves educating graduates to manage finances wisely.

“We’re very proud to be associated with an institution like CPUT and particularly the EMS Department. We’re well-aware that the department is widely-regarded as a leading centre of excellence in South Africa and internationally, as the students are trained in advanced life support, medical as well as rescue skills. This produces multi-skilled graduates of exceptional calibre.  PPS is looking forward to a mutually beneficial and sustainable relationship with the university for years to come.”

Written by Janyce Weintrob
Tel: +27 21 460 3514
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Delegates from a number of national educational institutions that offer rescue training for emergency medical service personnel recently gathered at CPUT for the annual inter institutional rescue week.

This annual meet was started by the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) at CPUT in 2012 with the aim of getting other institutions that offer rescue training to engage on standardising and benchmarking rescue as a specialist field within emergency medical care.

The first day of the four-day event consisted of an academic workshop where delegates discussed the future academic landscape of rescue qualification.

Marianne Bester and Frederika de Graaff from CPUT’s Fundani department provided vital information on the academic design of new qualifications and the RPL policy.

The delegates used the remaining days of rescue week to engage in cave, mountain and industrial types of rescue simulated scenarios at variety of locations around Cape Town.

According to EMS lecturers Justice Bosman and Ryan Matthews the event was regarded as a success as the objectives around the current needs and future direction within rescue were met as was the objective to introduce new teaching methodologies, showcase new equipment and techniques from different institutions offering rescue in non- or formal training.

“It also provides other institutions with  access to training sites, scenarios and possible contexts, which may not be always available due to their own geographical constraints, where they may develop or obtain some opportunity to test and practice their skills and systems,” says Bosman.

Matthews said next year’s event would be held at the Durban University of Technology.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The first in a 900 strong class of Health and Wellness Faculty graduates are ready to enter the workforce. Amongst them are the first graduates in the new four year Emergency Medical Care Degree programme.

Dean of the Health and Wellness Faculty Prof Dhiro Gihwala told the graduating class that they are entering the industry as an international global healthcare crisis threatens to cripple the sector.

“There is a shortage of 4.2 million healthcare workers in the world and Africa is the worst hit,” he says.

“So I am glad to be at a university that heeds the call to produce these graduates. You are part of a class of 900 health care graduates who will help improve patient care and make a difference here and beyond.” 

In concluding his address Gihwala reminded the graduates that they would need ample discipline to have a successful career in the healthcare sector.

“Discipline is absolutely critical; a person’s life will rely on your attitude, state of mind and intuition.”

News of CPUT’s extraordinary alumni can be found in our Grad Mag 2016.

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

CPUT is playing a key role in providing qualified nursing staff to South Africa’s health sector.

Nursing is one of CPUT’s most popular programmes and is offered at the main Athlone Campus, with the course also offered at two satellite sites in Worcester (Boland/Overberg Campus) and George (South Cape/Karoo Campus.)

The Athlone Campus as well as the satellite sites are well-resourced facilities. Students have access to learning venues, libraries as well as various other student facilities.

The Athlone Campus, and George and Worcester sites are well-resourced for Nursing training

Apart from attending lecturers at the campus and satellite sites, Nursing students get the opportunity to hone their skills at a variety of accredited hospitals and community settings during their four year period of study.

The programme is offered in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

View Athlone Campus maps and contact details

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news

Growing up Mustafa Zalgaonker would often hear his mother say: “the giving hand is better than the receiving hand.”

The message resonated with the Emergency Medical Sciences lecturer who has dedicated much of his time assisting those in need, not only at home but in disaster-struck areas in different parts of the world.

Earlier this year when a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia, Zalgaonker was part of a team from the Gift of the Givers organisation who assisted with humanitarian aid and care.
He has worked with Gift of the Givers on several occasions since 2015 when Nepal was hit by an earthquake.

“It has been an eye-opener to see how people survive around the world and how we take things for granted. We have challenges in our health care system but it was humbling to see how elsewhere in the world people get by with a lot less, no running water and poor infrastructure.”

The EMS Department has a close relationship with the organisation and also assisted them during the Knysna fires.

“As academics, we teach rescue, disaster management and rescue incident management. So having the opportunity to go to a real-life disaster setting is an invaluable learning experience. We can convey the risk and the experience to our students.”

Despite his busy schedule, Zalgaonker will be among the hundreds of graduates at today’s graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

He has earned his Master’s degree and this thesis is titled Intravenous fluid resuscitation: surveillance of penetrating injury in the pre-hospital environment.

“You learn so much about yourself while completing such a degree, about your own resilience, how to manage your time and how to juggle what life throws in your path. So, if you’re wondering how to juggle it all, you will find a way.”

Giving back defines Zalgaonker’s life and he is involved in a range of charities from animal welfare to work with the disabled.

“There is a sense of happiness you get from helping people. If you help people without them knowing you get a sense of enlightenment.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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A holistic view of attacks on ambulances emerged from the Safety Symposium hosted by CPUT yesterday. 

The scale of the problem was unpacked from ministerial level right through to community members who are feeling the brunt of reduced ambulance services in their areas.
Deputy Minister of Health Dr Mathume Phaahla says attacks on emergency medical staff are increasing because respect for human life is severely lacking in society and that is an indication of larger socio-economic challenges facing South Africa.

“We are living in a highly criminal infested society and that is why part of the discussion will explore the relationship between Community Policing Forums (CPF) and to ensure there are systems of cooperation to ensure that when a call for help arrives the emergency medical services feel safe enough to respond,” he says.

While not ideal, Phaahla explained the concept of red zones (no-go or access controlled zones for emergency medical care staff) has been one way of dealing with the scourge of ambulance attacks.

“The declaration of red zones are based on intelligence from the security cluster and police forums. There are a number of government interventions yet, despite this, the attacks still continue,” says Phaahla.

Some of the interventions implemented already include training neighbourhood watch members and CPF members to be first responders and provide critical care in the time until ambulance staff are able to get to the scene.

Lentegeur Neighbourhood Watch Chairwoman Glenda Arendse says her community was selected for first aid training as a trial run and that it is working well.
“Our community members know to cordon areas off and how to do basic first aid until the ambulance gets there and it is working,” she says.

Lloyd Christopher, Acting Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences and the symposium chairman says this is the first coordinated effort to try and tackle the problem.

“It is important that we get a diverse view of why these ambulance attacks affect the community and why they are happening. A common solution must be possible. A rescuer can’t be a rescuer and a victim, you have to be one or the other,” he says.

Written by Lauren Kansley
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Attacks on ambulances and emergency medical service personnel will come under the spotlight during the Emergency Medical Services Safety Symposium at CPUT’s Bellville Campus on Wednesday.

A growing number of attacks has been reported in several parts of the country over the past few years with devastating consequences not only for the crews but the affected communities as well.

“These attacks have become a national problem. What we have been noticing is that there have been individual efforts to try and address this, either from the public or the private sector. What has been missing are the voices of the other stakeholders. The impact is that services are withdrawn, and the communities suffer,” said Lloyd Christopher, Acting Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences and the symposium chairman.

“The symposium brings together representatives from across the country, including the provincial and national departments of health, private EMS, academia, civil society – a broad spectrum of people that are affected by these ambulance attacks. It’s important for us to follow a holistic approach and to get a diverse view of how these ambulance attacks affect the communities in order to understand why these attacks are happening.”

The event will be attended by Dr Mathume Phaahla, the Deputy Minister of Health.

It will centre around four themes: The status quo – experiences and current professional responses, Building EMS resilience in a violent societal context, Criminal Justice and legal framework to strengthen EMS systems and Strategic partnership towards sustainable solutions.

“We’d like to end the symposium with a position statement. A rescuer can’t be a victim and a rescuer. We are finding that the ambulance personnel are becoming the victims and that can’t be the case. We would like to have a national position statement from all the stakeholders that will set the agenda for future research to better understand the problem and then to work on common solutions.”

The event has been registered with CPUT Community Engagement and is led by the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Two academics in the Emergency Medical Sciences Department have departed for Indonesia to assist with humanitarian aid and care following the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The death toll following last week’s disaster has climbed to more than 1 400 and hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.

The EMS Department’s Mustafa Zalgaonker and Xavier Millar left for Indonesia on Wednesday as part of a team from The Gift of the Givers Organisation.

The organisation, which has a longstanding relationship with the EMS Department, has mobilised a team of search and rescue specialists to in search, rescue and recovery operations as well as the delivery of much needed humanitarian aid and healthcare.

The department has previously assisted in a number of Gift of the Giver disaster response operations, including the Nepal earthquake in 2015 and the recent Knysna Fires in 2017.

Zalgaonker, a CPUT alumnus, has been a lecturer with the Department since 2015. He is a seasoned Emergency Care Practitioner (Advanced Life Support) and a highly skilled Advanced Rescue Technician with both national and international disaster response experience, having previously responded to the earthquake disaster in Nepal in 2015 and the Kynsna Fires in 2017.

He will be graduating with his Masters: Emergency Medical Care from the department at the end of 2018. 

Millar is the department’s rescue lecturer and has been with the department since the end of 2017. He has a highly experienced Advanced Life Support paramedic and a skilled Advanced Rescue Technician with expertise in Urban Search and Rescue. 

The team are scheduled to arrive in the disaster zone over the weekend.

“The department also has additional staff members on standby as the Gift of the Givers has indicated the possibility of a second rescue team being dispatched in the coming days as the needs on the ground become more apparent,” said Benjamin de Waal, Senior Lecturer / Head of Program: Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Emergency Medical Sciences Department’s new state of the art ambulance bay will not only bolster student training but aid in providing emergency care in the city. 

The ramp of the new bay, which is situated on the Bellville Campus, was recently completed allowing the Department to take practical training to a new level.

“We can teach our students much more than we can teach them by sitting in a classroom. We can log in with Metro Ambulance Services and tell them we have a vehicle and students available. They then give us a call if they need us to go out to a scene,” said Clinical Practice Facilitator Louis Jordaan.

While the institution is registered and has three vehicles licenced with the Department of Health to render emergency medical services, the department is not running an ambulance service that can be contacted directly by members of the public.

“For us, it’s all about the students and ensuring that they get the best hands-on training. At the same time we serve as an extra resource to Metro Ambulance Services,” said clinical coordinator Llizane McDonald.

The students are learning about all aspects of operating an ambulance bay from stock control and record keeping to the charging, servicing and maintenance of equipment.

As part of their training students are sent out to work with private or public ambulance services and, should students need further mentoring and support after this, they can go out on one of the vehicles with a clinical instructor.

Fourth-year student Taryn Daley said the bay and experience students were getting on the road resulted in an “all round experience” which would ensure that they were well prepared for the world of work when they graduate in a few months.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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