In a vital initiative demonstrating its commitment to community engagement and strengthening national health systems, the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (DEMS) successfully delivered critical training to frontline paramedics in the Eastern Cape.

The project, titled "Breathing Life into Care: Eastern Cape EMS Airway & Ventilation Project," addressed an urgent need to upskill emergency medical personnel.

The project was initiated in response to the unique challenges faced by the Eastern Cape, a province with vast rural areas where critically ill patients often require long-distance transport to tertiary hospitals. These extended transfers can lead to preventable morbidity and mortality if advanced airway and mechanical ventilation are not managed expertly. The collaboration was spearheaded by Abongile Xeketwana, the project lead from the Eastern Cape Department of Health.

A dedicated CPUT team travelled to Gqeberha to conduct the two-day workshop. The team was led by facilitators Elroy Cameron, Athenkosi Sobada, and Kwanda Gogotyi, with John Meyer providing crucial coordination and administrative support.

The workshop was attended by 24 Paramedics and Emergency Care Practitioners, the majority of whom work in the public sector in rural, low-resource environments. For two-thirds of the attendees, this was their first formal training in this specialised area.

The educational impact of the simulation-based workshop was profound and measurable. A pre- and post-course knowledge assessment demonstrated a remarkable improvement.

The training successfully closed significant knowledge gaps previously identified in complex areas like paediatric ventilation and lung-protective strategies. The analysis showed the workshop was especially effective for early-career professionals while also serving as a valuable refresher for highly experienced clinicians.

This project aligns with national and global development goals, including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for Good Health (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), as well as South Africa’s National Development Plan goal of ensuring a long and healthy life for all citizens.

Through this collaborative effort, CPUT DEMS has not only enhanced the clinical skills of Eastern Cape paramedics but has also reinforced its role as an engaged university dedicated to using its expertise to build a capable state and address the real-world health challenges facing South Africa’s communities.

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.

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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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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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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CPUT has benefited from a fellowship program, which gives African-born scholars in the United States and Canada the opportunity to collaborate with universities in six African countries.

A collaborative application between Dr Kareemah Gamieldien from CPUT’s Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) and Prof M. Faadiel Essop from the Physiological Sciences Department at Stellenbosch University, saw them being awarded the prestigious Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship. This accolade presented them with the opportunity to invite Dr Ismail Laher, a professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, as a visiting academic to their institutions. 

Prof Laher has travelled to South Africa where he has been collaborating with CPUT’s EMS Department as well as with Stellenbosch University's Physiological Sciences Department on teaching, curriculum, research and mentoring. Laher said he was motivated to apply for the fellowship as he had been following Essop’s research and was keen on collaborating with him and the Department. Another motivating factor was the fact that the Western Cape is a hub for excellence in cardiovascular research.
“There are some interesting opportunities here because of the changing nature of the population - obesity is on the increase and there are other metabolic diseases. It’s an opportunity for sharing and exchanging ideas. I’ve come to learn from people here but I also have some ideas of how they can do things differently,” said Laher.

Gamieldien and Essop decided to collaborate on the fellowship because of its potential for research and education. Gamieldien said that Prof Laher had provided her with valuable feedback on improvements that could be made in terms of helping students to better learn and understand physiology.
“The main outcome is that this will help us to improve teaching physiology,” she said.

Opportunities for networking between various institutions in terms of research and teaching was also expected to flow from the initiative. Gamieldien said the program and collaboration were also in line with the vision for the Human Anatomy and Physiology in Emergency Care (HAPEC) endeavour, which was established in 2015 and strives to align anatomy and physiology to EMS.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Staff members and students from the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) recently joined the Gift of the Givers Foundation on a one-day medical intervention in the Central Karoo town of Touws River.

Specialists, other medical personnel as well as trainees joined the humanitarian organisation to provide much-needed medical services to residents of the town as well as from surrounding areas.

The staff members from the EMS Department who participated were: John Meyer (project lead), Casey Van Der Walt, Elroy Cameron, Daglin Thomas and Candice De Waal. They were joined by students Khuthazwa Sontangana, Lindibuhle Njwayi, Sinalo Faca, Lazarus Mohlahlo and Nelisa Qongwane

“Our main function was triaging of 1500 patients,” said Meyer.

The Department has worked with the Gift of the Givers Foundation for many years and has been on local and international missions with the organisation.

Khuthazwa said she gained valuable experience from the intervention.

“It was my first time assisting so any people and I learnt so much. It was a good experience – you get to help the people without expecting anything in return. What Gift of the Givers are doing really inspires me.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Department of Emergency Medical Sciences’ Dr Navindhra Naidoo is the chair of an expert panel on Evidence-based First Aid for First Responders (FAFR) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Naidoo said the panel was convened by the Belgian Red Cross and that other panellists included representatives from Red Cross societies elsewhere on the continent.

The guidelines compiled by the panel are aimed at the first individuals in a community to attend to the scene of an emergency and provide them with evidence-based information on what to safely do.

“The value of evidence-based practice is that it bridges the gap between science and practice, and it deals with a wide range of issues from humanitarian aid and risk awareness to responsible care and referral. Because it is evidence-based it provides a safety net for caregivers so they don’t have to fear that what they’re doing may be harmful or unacceptable to communities,” said Naidoo.

“The context for this is knowledge translation toward social capital. The knowledge exists but it is often not adequately translated from other contexts. The process also considers indigenous knowledge systems.”

The guidelines will be field tested in Malawi and the final version will be available towards the end of the year. Training aids will be developed.

Ten years ago Naidoo was a part of an expert panel for the African First Aid Materials (AFAM) project for the Belgian Red Cross.

“That was the first attempt to create evidence-based guidelines for first aid in Africa. At the end of the project we included evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of injuries as well as response. We realised then that there is also a need to develop evidence-based guidelines for first responders to strengthen resilience at grassroots level and to further reduce the emergency care burden in Africa.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Department of Emergency Medical Sciences has received a donation of food items and toiletries from the Gift of the Givers Foundation to assist students who may be in need of support.

The Department has a long-standing relationship with the organisation. Staff from the department have assisted with disaster relief responses, both locally and abroad, while Gift of the Givers has supported some of the Department’s Service-Learning Projects.

Students pursuing a career in emergency care are required to undertake 12-hour clinical shifts in hospital wards and on ambulances. They are also required to engage in off-campus rescue-related training exercises that can sometimes last for several days.

“The department approached Gift of the Givers for support to ensure that students do not go hungry and have access to nutritional supplements during these clinical shifts and physical rescue exercises,” said Lloyd Christopher, Head of the EMS Department

The donation from Gift of the Givers is being distributed to the neediest students in the department.

Written by CPUT News
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To prepare students for an emergency evacuation or egression in the event of a crash landing on water, the Survival Centre recently collaborated with the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) to host a Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) for 19 EMS students.

HUET is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to survive and escape from a helicopter that has ditched into the water. The primary aim is to ensure that students from the EMS programmes are prepared for real-life emergency scenarios involving helicopters, enhancing their overall emergency response capabilities. “This is essential training as EMS practitioners could be required to proceed to an emergency in a helicopter. Aeromedical rescue module is part of their curriculum, and thus Survival Centre and EMS collaborate to complete the outcomes and assessment,” said Senior Maritime Instructor and Manager: Survival Centre, Samantha Montes.

The HUET course provides several benefits to the EMS students as they experience a simulated helicopter ditching, both controlled and uncontrolled, which prepares them for actual emergencies. This hands-on approach helps bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. The training helps students develop essential survival skills such as underwater escape, proper use of safety equipment, and techniques for staying calm under pressure.

By successfully completing the HUET course, students gain confidence in their ability to handle emergencies, which is crucial for their future roles as EMS professionals.

The training also emphasises teamwork and coordination, “which are vital skills for EMS professionals who often work in teams during emergencies”.

“The training day was a resounding success. All students, including those who needed to reattempt the escape, successfully passed the course. This indicates that the training effectively prepared students, allowing them to demonstrate proficiency in the skills taught. The success can be attributed to the well-structured programme, the expertise of the instructors, and the determination of the students.”

The training was conducted by experienced professionals, Cara Alberts, Ryan McConney and Colin Daniels who ensured high-quality instructions and safety throughout the course. Alberts is a maritime instructor with extensive experience in underwater escape training. McConney is a lab assistant/safety assistant who provided essential support and guidance during the practical exercises. Meanwhile Daniels, a lab assistant/safety assistant assisted in ensuring the smooth operation of the training sessions and student safety. Both lab assistants operated the winch controls for the HUET

A fourth year Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care student, Chumani Qinisile said: “For me it was adventurous, because I've never experienced such in my lifetime. When you outside, you think it's just a walk in the park but once you get inside the helicopter, that's where you realise that it's real. It was fun though.”

Chumani said the training shapes “your mindset” on how to react on those certain circumstances, not to panic and handle it in a very good manner and a manner that “will help you” survive such incident “if you ever come across it”. “I was not scared, just a little bit nervous. I love any activity that involves water in it, so for me it was just having fun.”

The second HUET training session will be held on 5 June and 20 students are expected to partake in the programme.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences’ Life Science Revision project is growing from strength to strength, with nearly 200 matrics from three high schools joining in a recent revision session at CPUT.

The project was launched in 2018 by the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences’ Prof Kareemah Najaar, to help more learners achieve the minimum requirements to qualify for programmes in the science field.

Matric learners and teachers from Lavender Hill High School, Wynberg High School and Langa High School visited the Bellville Campus for the first revision session of the year, with 43 tutors volunteering to assist the learners.

The tutors included staff and students from all seven departments in the Faculty: Emergency Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Wellness Sciences, Nursing, Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences, Ophthalmic Sciences and Dental Sciences and, for the first time, tutors from the Department of Medical Biosciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

“Over the years, since its inception in 2018, this community project has grown in numbers and evolved in design, efficiency and leadership. What started as a project with myself and 15 tutors and one department supporting one high school with Life Science revision, now has a pool of approximately 100 tutor volunteers from seven FHWS departments as well as volunteers from UWC who are supporting three high schools,” said Najaar.

“I am also now part of a powerful leadership team, with Dr Wendy Solomon and Ms Marnel Germishuys, who work tirelessly to ensure the efficient planning and execution of each revision session. We are very proud of what has been termed as a Faculty Flagship.”

In previous years, a school would serve as the venue for the revision session, but this year learners were welcomed on campus, where they received valuable exposure to the institution.

Plans to expand the project are in the pipeline.

“Before the end of 2024, we intend inviting two additional schools from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Paarl district. We also intend to invite the Medical Biosciences Department, UWC to officially partner with us and continue to increase the number of adopted high schools.”

Najaar said a fundamental component of the project’s success was to use the feedback from the teachers and learners and adapting operations and revision content to their needs.

“I do believe that we have created a tutoring model that is able to adapt to various scenarios, from serious events such as the COVID-19 pandemic (when technology is not available to the disadvantaged) to an unexpected significant decrease in tutor numbers. The ever-adapting model ensures that the matric learners are provided with quality revision sessions in preparation for their final exams.”

Langa High School teacher, Nandipha Mandongana, said the project afforded learners the opportunity to revise topics that they may otherwise not have time for.

“The exposure to CPUT also serves as a motivation. They know what is expected of them in terms of their results if they want to make it (to CPUT) next year.”

Najaar said that in 2021 a significant component was added to the community project, that seeks to empower the young women in matric.

“In support of the national Sanitary Dignity Programme, we provide feminine hygiene products to the female students, in the hopes of making a small difference to the quality of education for young women.”

She thanked all role-players who contributed to the project’s success.

“We would always first give thanks to our tutors who volunteer their time and create a welcoming environment for the matric learners, without whom this project would not be possible. A warm thank you to our colleagues from UWC, who volunteered their time and skills. A heartfelt thank you to our teachers who provide us with the opportunity and guidance during the planning and execution of the revision sessions. We are also in appreciation for the received support from the Dean’s office as well as the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-learning division.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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