Failing emergency medical services To the Editor: I refer to the scientific letter entitled ‘Emergency centres lack defibrillator knowledge’.1 I am a recently retired UK accident and emergency consultant who is now attempting to plough back knowledge gained in the discipline of emergency medicine (EM) and trauma to peripheral hospitals in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) under the umbre...

Overall, our view of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is too constrained and limits services that could be provided. Some time ago, a friend remarked that EMS was unrelated to Disaster Medicine and, in fact, advised that the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and this journal (PDM) needed to concentrate either on Disaster Medicine OR EMS. More recently, this same frie...

dealing with life-threatening situations requires the quickest, most effective response. each time the emergency phone number 115 is dialed, ems is ready to act and dispatch the rescue services needed. whether it is a fire, road accident, crime or medical crisis, the caller in distress should receive support from emergency services and lives should be saved. to be able to meet the required resp...