More than 130 000 cases were recorded at public health services this past festive season, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said in a statement issued this week.
Each year the festive season places increased pressure on emergency services in the province, it pointed out.
This treatment estimate, between 15 December and 14 January, at emergency centres across the province is accompanied by the more than 47 000 estimated incidents responded to by the department’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS), totalling 177 000 emergency cases.
The Health Department said EMS teams responded to 47 351 emergency calls across all districts, the highest demand recorded in greater Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and Garden Route.
It said trauma remained a major driver of demand, the EMS responding to 7 353 assault-related cases and 1 437 motor-vehicle incidents.
Seasonal risks also increased, with 93 drowning incidents and multiple wilderness and Table Mountain rescues, the department said.
Emergency centres recorded a total of 130 004 patient admissions, including 29 272 trauma cases and 93 755 non-trauma cases.
Early indicators showed patients with chronic medical conditions made up a large proportion of these admissions. This added to the trauma load, increasing waiting time at many facilities, the department said.
From 15 December last year to 14 January this year most children seen in emergency centres were treated mainly for non-trauma-related conditions, while falls and accidental injuries remained the leading causes of injury. Overall paediatric visits were lower than the previous festive season, but transport-related cases increased by 30% and some rise in violence-related injuries was recorded, the department said.
It said the cases of adults treated at emergency centres were primarily non-trauma-related. While overall visits declined compared to the previous festive season — including fewer accidental injuries, blunt assaults and falls — serious violence-related cases such as stabbings and gunshot wounds continued to place pressure on services.
The Forensic Pathology Service confirmed 941 deaths in the reporting period.
