The University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Gauteng Department of Health and electronics manufacturer Royal Philips Electronics launched a cooperative project this month, which focuses on the specialist treatment retrieval and transfer of high-risk mother and child cases in Gauteng.

The project involves a specialised mother and child care ambulance and a trained retrieval team to effectively manage maternal emergencies, and is part of Royal Philips Electronics’ ambition to improve the quality of healthcare in the country through innovations and partnerships.

The ambulance is equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring and resuscitation equipment. It is operated by a trained retrieval team comprising final-year emergency medical care students and emergency care practitioners, as well as paediatric and emergency medicine registrars. The ambulance is managed by the Emergency Medical Care Department at UJ and responds from the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.

The project aims to deal with challenges in maternal and infant care. Many primary and community-based healthcare facilities lack the required equipment, knowledge or expertise to effectively manage maternal emergencies, complicated childbirths or critically ill infants and children.

Further, the transfer of patients from the primary healthcare facility to the hospital needs improvement, owing to limited care facilities during transfer and, often, high-risk patients arrive in an unstable or deteriorating condition.

“First World healthcare is within our reach, provided we can get appropriately trained staff, equipped with the right equipment, to the right patient at the right time, and this partnership aims to do just that,” says UJ Emergency Medical Care head Dr Craig Lambert.

Royal Philips Electronics is committed to providing effective, sustainable and value-based healthcare solutions for Africa. It contributes to the United Nations Development Goals of improving maternal health and reducing child mortality. The company has also developed the Fabric of Africa initiative to foster public– private partnerships to drive the agenda.

“According to Human Rights Watch, 4 500 mothers die each year from childbirth com- plications,” says Philips Healthcare South Africa district manager Jose Fernandes.