A medical rescue by helicopter was undertaken yesterday in the Mweni area of the Drakensberg. A woman who was in a party of six hikers from the Western Cape had slipped and fallen and injured her leg. Her condition was stable but being unable to walk is a severe problem in the Drakensberg Mountains. Considering the low temperatures experienced at night this can become a life threatening problem. Her fellow hikers contacted emergency services and it was decided to send the air ambulance to rescue her. The remaining day light hours to perform the helicopter rescue were the main concern.
Fortunately hikers in the hiking party had medical knowledge and the patient had been well cared for prior to the helicopters arrival. The group was located by the rescue helicopter at a much higher altitude than expected. The patient was loaded and transported to Greys hospital in Pietermaritzburg and then transported by ambulance to a private hospital.
Leave a Reply