Medics hit by battlefield trauma

15 September 2016 - 09:00 By Aron Hyman

Paramedics are resorting to war-time tactics in dangerous areas in the Western Cape. "Load and go" has become standard practice in places such as Hanover Park and Nyanga, where ambulances are now frequently attacked.Nyanga police station commander Brigadier Vuyisile Ncata said that this year there have been four attacks on paramedics in Nyanga.He spoke to hundreds of emergency medical services workers in Philippi yesterday and promised that the police would continue to escort ambulances after dark.A paramedic, who asked not to be named, said colleagues had been severely traumatised by encounters with murderous thugs.Ncata said medics are forced to extract patients and move out as quickly as possible, something paramedics refer to as a "load and go". ..

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