For those planning a trip up Mount Kilimanjaro‚ to ensure that you would be saved by a helicopter in the case of an emergency‚ it could cost you a minimum of approximately R27‚000. While there are a vast number of operators who offer a guiding service up the mountain‚ many of the basic packages do not include helicopter evacuations. In most cases‚ rescue missions rely on the efficiency of guides as well as the punctuality of the Kilimanjaro Rescue Team. The recent death of South African race car driver Gugu Zulu has sparked concern for the general safety precautions put in place by operators‚ whilst trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro. An excerpt from the Journal of Travel Medicine suggests that "there needs to be greater awareness of the dangers of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE)‚ Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)‚ and High Altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)".Paul Gordon John Welch and David Andrew Dyke Symmons‚ from the Medical Education Unit and Emergency Department at Townsville Hospital in Queensland‚ Australia‚ shared their experiences of a university trip to Mount Kilimanjaro‚ where their group of postgraduate nurses and doctors from across Australia were “astonished at the high number of untreated‚ symptomatic HACE cases observed”.The pair noted that while some of the guides did carry oxygen‚ the ones they encountered were not always trained on how to use the given equipment.“Indeed‚ when we stopped to offer assistance to one man‚ his guide did not want to offer him oxygen as he said it was ‘dangerous.’ This guide had to be shown by our team how to use the oxygen bottle and mask‚” the report said.On Monday TMG Digital reported that Zulu died while taking part in the Trek4Mandela expedition on the mountain. He complained of having flu-like symptoms on Saturday and posted on his Instagram account that he was “struggling with the mountain”.While the cause of Zulu’s death has not yet been confirmed‚ it has been suggested that he could have succumbed to AMS or HAPE.According to the Ultimate Kilimanjaro website‚ the dangers involved in climbing Africa’s highest peak are under-rated.“Climbing Kilimanjaro is probably one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Every year‚ approximately 1‚000 people are evacuated from the mountain‚ and approximately 10 deaths are reported.“The actual number of deaths is believed to be two to three times higher. The main cause of death is altitude sickness. Everyone climbing Mount Kilimanjaro should be familiar with the symptoms of altitude sickness‚” the website reads.Annalé van Rensburg‚ senior tour consultant at Climbing Kilimanjaro‚ on Tuesday explained that the general protocols put in place to address medical issues during an individual’s climb rely heavily on the Kilimanjaro Rescue Team.“If one of our climbers would experience breathing problems on the mountain‚ we would administer oxygen‚ while taking the individual to a lower altitude.“During this instance‚ our guides would also notify the Kilimanjaro Rescue Team of their whereabouts‚ more or less‚ and then meet the Rescue Team on route‚ at a lower altitude.“The Rescue team would then place the relevant person on to the oversized wheelbarrow-like stretcher and run off the mountain and take the person to hospital‚” she said.Van Rensburg added that a device called a Pulse Oximeter‚ that individuals can use twice a day‚ can be used to monitor oxygen levels in the blood.Used twice a day (morning at breakfast and evening during dinner) on the mountain‚ an individual’s oxygen levels could be monitored very closely and would have indicated as soon as oxygen levels in the blood get dangerously low‚ she said.“ At that stage‚ we would ... get an individual to a lower altitude and even completely off the mountain as soon as possible‚” she said.At a cost of R26‚296 with Climbing Kilimanjaro‚ a single climber receives “a superior package starting from Moshi‚” which consists of a five day/four night hike and two nights’ hotel accommodation. The deal also includes Kilimanjaro National Park rescue fees‚ 3 litres of mineral water (per hiker) for the first day of the climb and complimentary flying doctor’s membership (helicopter evacuation to Nairobi) among other things.However‚ a standard package for a single climber‚ which consists of a five day/four night hike with two nights’ hotel accommodation‚ and does not include helicopter evacuations‚ could still cost approximately R25‚695 from some operators.In the case of Zulu‚ Jovial Rantao‚ writing in The Star newspaper on Tuesday‚ raised concerns about the level of care given to Zulu‚ who was pushed on a bicycle stretcher for 32km – a journey taking four hours - to the gate of Kilimanjaro National Park.Author Thebe Ikalafeng‚ a friend of Gugu Zulu‚ told radio 702‚ "The further down they bring you‚ the better you become. And unfortunately because Kilimajaro is a protected national park‚ between the time you start‚ which is about 1600 I think‚ to the peak of 5895 meters above sea level... between those two peaks‚ there is one where there is no medical facility. So‚ even if you have an emergency‚ if there is no helicopter which has to come from Kenya‚ because they have only one person‚ and if you don't have an insurance with that person then you are in trouble."While TMG Digital went to great lengths to make contact with the Mount Kilimanjaro National Parks team regarding the protocols involved should an individual experience a serious medical condition during the climb and what role the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park team play in ensuring the safety of climbers‚ until 4pm on Tuesday‚ no response had been received.The contact numbers made available on the website were also out of service...