Georgie, a stateoftheart robot, has been introduced to the ICU of George Hospital, South Africa, as part of the TeleICU project. This technology improves decisionmaking and knowledge sharing among medical professionals, breaking down barriers of physical presence and making medical services more accessible and equitable. This innovative venture into telemedicine is anticipated to not only increase the accessibility of healthcare services but also make them more equitable, setting the stage for a new era of healthcare delivery in South Africa.
The Western Cape province in South Africa is gearing up for the festive season by implementing a robust health strategy to address around 60,000 emergency calls expected between December 15 and January 15. The strategy includes reducing elective procedures to allocate more resources to emergency centres, positioning ambulances and rescue vehicles along major highways, and collaborating with the National Sea Rescue Institute and Lifeguards SA during beach days. The province’s five drones equipped with highdefinition cameras and other sensors will provide realtime situational information to emergency services in challenging locations. Western Cape’s dedication to public health and safety demonstrates its commitment to managing largescale public health situations.