Emergency Medical and Rescue Vehicles responding to cases involving patients and/or potential patients should be staffed by suitably qualified individuals duly registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa within the relevant category registerable under the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act 56 of 1974). It is permissible for unregistered persons such as firefighters, allied health professionals or non-medical lay persons to accompany registered emergency care providers primarily for purposes of observation on such vehicles subject to the following conditions:
- The highest qualified and duly registered Emergency Care Provider assumes full responsibility for the activities, acts, actions and safety of the unregistered person/s with whom they are working. Unqualified persons may not render any form of emergency care nor are they to provide medical advice.
- The unregistered persons should be required to sign an undertaking of confidentially pertaining to any patient information they may become privy to.
- The unregistered person should be clearly identifiable as an observer and should be introduced to patients as an observer. Patient consent for such observation must be obtained. At no stage shall patient care, privacy and confidentiality be compromised.
Last Updated on 25 July 2017 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs