MEDICAL
3 ON THE ROUTE
A substantial part of the Netcare 911 team will be stationed on or roaming along the route on race day. This will allow them to respond quicker to any medical emergencies that may arise during the race. In addition to mobile medical staff, there will also be the following types of stationary medical assistance:
• Medical( First Aid) Stations: Eight Netcare medical stations will be set up along the route with Netcare 911 advanced life support paramedics, ambulances and nurses to render medical assistance. These first aid stations will be able to stabilise runners till the arrival of an ambulance, but will also assess and treat minor wounds, such as from falls, and also check runners’ blood sugar and blood pressure levels. If they assess a runner and feel they shouldn’ t carry on, they will inform the runner.
• Physio Stations: There are eight physio stations on route manned by 186 qualified physiotherapists and third-year physio students, who will treat minor problems like cramping, administer massaging, and strap injuries.( There will be many more physios and massage volunteers on the route, manning various rub stations.)
Please note: The Physio and First Aid stations will be situated together and can be found on the Route Map in this digimag.
4 AT THE FINISH VENUE
Both Netcare 911 staff and volunteer medical staff will be stationed in various medical facilities at or near the Finish at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse:
• Last Mile and Entrance to Scottsville: There will be an advanced life support paramedic stationed near the end of the Toyota Mile, to respond to calls about runners in that area who may be in need of medical attention before they enter the finish area.
• Finish Line: There will be a small medical facility on the finish line. This will be staffed by an emergency care doctor and a paramedic. Its purpose is to be used as a primary emergency resuscitation area if a runner is in severe trouble at the finish, and needs care immediately, prior to being transferred to the medical tent. Finishing runners who need medical attention or who cannot proceed from the finish line without assistance will be taken from the finish line to the medical tent by volunteer stretcher-bearers.
• Main Medical Tent: The medical facility at the Finish venue will include critical care and laboratory facilities, manned by approximately 70 doctors and 20 nurses. This tent will have 190 beds as well as a five-bed, fully equipped, ICUtype resuscitation area, manned by a dedicated specialist emergency team to provide appropriate emergency care, if needed. Netcare Diagnostics Point of Care pathology testing will be set up in the tent, with two set-ups in the general tent and one in the ICU section.
• Physio Tent: There is a fully-staffed Physio Tent with 40 beds at the Finish venue. A total of 78 physiotherapists will be working at the Finish on race day.
• Public First Aid: Public First Aid will be provided by Netcare at the Finish venue. This first aid station will be located in the vicinity of the Information Tent.
5 HOSPITALS ON STANDBY
Should a participant require hospital treatment, Netcare 911 will provide emergency medical transport from the route and Finish precinct to the designated event hospitals:
• Netcare Parklands, Hopelands Road, Durban
• Netcare St Augustine’ s Hospital, Marks Road, Berea
• Netcare Umhlanga Hospital, Umhlanga Rocka Drive, Umhlanga
• Netcare St Anne’ s Hospital, Burge Street, Pietermaritzburg
In the event of hospitalisation, normal medical aid procedures and costs will apply for participants who are members of a medical aid scheme. Participants without medical aid will qualify for sponsored treatment for a maximum period of 24 hours, provided that:
• They are transported directly from the route by a Netcare 911 ambulance; or
• They are referred to hospital directly from the official Finish medical facility.
This sponsored hospital treatment does not apply to participants who make their own way to hospital, leave the route or Finish precinct independently, or seek treatment from a private doctor or hospital after leaving the event.
Please note: Should a participant without medical aid require hospital care exceeding 24 hours, the participant may be transferred to a provincial hospital at the discretion of the relevant hospital management.
6 TRACKING YOUR PATIENT
When entering, all participants are required to list a contact person that will be notified of any emergencies or medical-related affecting that runner during the race. Should a participant require medical treatment, the contact person will be kept informed of their runner’ s medical journey, by receiving one or more of the following messages:
• Your runner has been taken to a hospital from the route.
• Your runner has been admitted into the St Johns facility at the Finish for a rub down.
• Your runner has been admitted to the medical tent at the Finish.
• Your runner has been transferred from the medical tent to a hospital.
• Your runner has been discharged from the medical tent.
Supporters looking for participants should visit the CMA Information Centres at the Finish Precinct, where staff will be able to assist with runner status and timing information, as well as medical updates in the event of a runner requiring medical treatment.
Please note: The Medical Tent facility at the Finish is for runners only. Due to the large number of runners being treated and staff working in the tent, particularly during the last two hours of the race, relatives or friends cannot be allowed into the tent. Instead, they should go to the Information Tent, from where they will be directed to the Medical Waiting Tent to wait for their runner. There they can have some tea or coffee while waiting to receive updates as to the runner’ s condition and expected time of discharge.
Images: Comrades Marathon Association & courtesy Netcare 911
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