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The Development of Emergency Medical Services in Southern Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

John M. Wilby
Affiliation:
Cape Ambulance Rescue Service, Cape Town, South Africa, and the Scottish Ambulance Service

Extract

Because of its relatively sophisticated infrastructure and the direct and indirect assistance rendered to neighboring states, this paper concentrates on South Africa and those factors which influence the development of Emergency Medical Services on the sub-continent.

Renowned for its scenic beauty, its natural resources, wild life, flora and generally attractive climate, South Africa is a country about two thirds the size of the European Economic Community and approximately one eighth the size of the United States with a population of over 25 million. The current worldwide interest in its internal affairs underlines its mixture of first and third world status and the unique complexity of its society.

The needs of the poorer sections of the community, the usual diseases prevalent among the more affluent, coupled with one of the world's worst road accident records stimulate demands for good Emergency Medical Services.

Type
Selected papers from the 4th World Congress on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Brighton, United Kingdom, June, 1985
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1986

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