According to the World Health Organization “timely access to quality emergency care can reduce avoidable death and disability by up to 50%”. It is in the light of this reality that healthcare professionals from across Gauteng gathered at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Ga-Rankuwa, on Wednesday, 20 August, for the province’s first Advanced Airway Management Symposium.
The symposium was designed to empower Gauteng’s health workers to remain confident and ready to act decisively in life-or-death moments. It gave doctors, nurses and paramedics hands-on training in life-saving emergency care techniques.
Participants practiced critical skills such as opening blocked airways, performing emergency procedures, and using the latest equipment to help patients breathe during trauma or resuscitation. These skills are vital in emergencies such as accidents, heart attacks and critical injuries.
“Airway management is not just a technical skill; it is the difference between saving a life and losing it. Every clinician who leaves here today more confident and better prepared is another step toward a health system our people can trust in their darkest hour,” said Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko speaking at the symposium.
The gathering was a collaboration between Gauteng Health Emergency Management Services, Lebone College of Emergency Care, Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and private sector partners, bringing together expertise and resources to strengthen emergency care in the province.
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Issued by the Gauteng Department of Health
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