Provincial government shows what can be done

CORRECTLY applied, modern technology can be a huge blessing to mankind.

And so it proved on Thursday night when esteemed KZN Premier, Senzo Mchunu and MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo personally tested the special night vision goggles that will enable chopper pilots and paramedics to reach the most rural and isolated of patients in the dead of night.

Those of us who live in towns and cities, within minutes’ drive of sophisticated, first world medical facilities, would have less of an appreciation of what this means to the tens of thousands who dwell kilometres from even the most basic clinic.

By being able to fly at night, the medical teams can be taken directly to remote areas, arriving within the crucial ‘golden hour’ that often means the difference between life and death.

And in a short time, those patients can be transferred and admitted into the province’s best hospitals.

It took a lot of effort and planning – and partnerships – to get the show on the road, as it were.

Notwithstanding many challenges and some failures, the KZN Department of Health has over the past few years steadily been eating into hospital and clinic backlogs, building new facilities and renovating others at a cost of multi-million rands.

In fact, over R7-billion has been spent since 2009.

In this instance a substantial investment was made into extending the services of the Aero-Medical System services.

Through being able to fly at night with vastly improved visibility, not only has medical rescue been made safer for the pilots and paramedics on board, but the reach of the service has been bolstered by the extra number of hours that can be flown.

And it has bridged the great divide between the have’s and the have-not’s, with all now having better access to the best possible emergency health care around the clock.

On top of this, the new NVG system project has also enabled the training of young pilots to match the skills of those anywhere in the world.

Such tangible, positive use of taxpayers’ hard-earned money will surely go down well with everyone at a time when waste and fruitless expenditure often manifests.

This is indeed a prime example of proper use of public funds and meticulous organisation.