Flight doctor, Dr Nadia Swart marked her 100th flight ahead of International Women’s Day 2021. Photograph: Netcare 911
International Women’s Day: Top SA flight doctor saves man’s life
Dr Nadia Swart, flight doctor with Netcare 911’s fixed wing division, recently undertook her 100th mission ahead of International Women’s Day.
Flight doctor, Dr Nadia Swart marked her 100th flight ahead of International Women’s Day 2021. Photograph: Netcare 911
As International Women’s Day is marked globally an SA flight doctor has just marked her 100th flight after traversing the continent, crossing the airspace of six countries and covering approximately 4 660 kilometres to save the life of one man.
Dr Nadia Swart, flight doctor with the Netcare 911 fixed wing division, recently undertook her 100th mission, just 36 months after she qualified as a flight doctor. She completed the mission ahead of International Women’s Day.
“This particular mission involved a patient in Khartoum suffering from an acute bowel obstruction and requiring highly specialised care. It was our duty to ensure that he made it safely to South Africa as quickly as possible to undergo the life-saving procedure,” Swart said.
“Planning an emergency flight such as this one requires the meticulous co-ordination of multiple elements. The added complexities of COVID-19 protocols mean there are many more boxes to check before taking to the air. Clearances must be obtained from several South African national government departments as well as from the airport at which you are going to land and each of the countries whose airspace you will be travelling through. This can take one or two days to arrange,” she said.
“Due to the duration of this long-haul mission, we had limited ground time available in order to comply with the legal flight and duty limitations for the crew. We therefore had to make a direct turn-around, with the patient being brought to us at the airport,” Swart said.
Access to emergency aircraft, such as the Falcon 50 used on this mission, and the specialised medical equipment on board is what makes these life-saving journeys possible. However, Swart said the dynamic between the team in a fixed-wing environment is the cornerstone of any successful mission.
“The energy between the doctor, the paramedic and the pilots is ultimately the most important element of the journey. When you are in the air you need to be able to depend upon one another. While you can make a call to ground services for telephonic assistance, you are the only ones attending to the patient. We therefore rely heavily on cohesive team-work and that is what can make or break a successful mission,” she said.
International Women’s Day is celebrated globally on March 8 as a day when women’s rights organisations highlight gender-based issues.
