More hikers rescued from Fish River Canyon
• Concerns grow over safety of canyon hiking trails
A major challenge for rescue companies is the difficulty of obtaining authorisation from South African medical aid companies to launch helicopter operations.
Another three hikers had to be rescued from the Fish River Canyon by helicopter just over a week ago.
This rescue followed closely on the heels of a major operation to extract 13 people from the canyon earlier this month, which lasted approximately 35 hours.
Following that operation, the tourism ministry announced it was considering whether the Fish River Canyon hiking trail should be closed, given several rescue operations conducted since the hiking season opened on 1 May.
Concerns have arisen regarding the safety of hikers in the canyon and whether there is sufficient water to ensure safety.
Difficult job
Conrad Jacobs, the national operations manager for Namibia Medical Rescue Service 24/7 (MR24/7), told Namibian Sun that two separate rescue operations took place, involving an elderly man on Wednesday, 15 May, and two elderly women the following Friday. All of them are South African citizens.
Jacobs said they were all experienced hikers and medically fit, but they all complained of diarrhoea.
As with the previous group, as soon as they were rescued and started drinking water again, their health improved.
“These are experienced hikers, some of whom have walked the canyon several times before. They know what to do, so there is definitely something wrong there.”
Jacobs further said that, as with the previous case, they again experienced problems with the medical aid fund in South Africa to organise a helicopter rescue operation for the two women.
“The medical aid simply said that they would not pay for it. The medical aid expects a medical form from the hikers in the canyons," he said.
“Like the two women on Friday, they were five hours away from any civilisation. So just to send my staff from Keetmanshoop is a three-hour drive, then they have to walk five hours into the canyon just to take tests for things such as blood pressure and sugar levels to provide to the medical aid.
“Then they have to hike out again to provide the results and condition of the hikers before the medical aid will decide whether it will pay or not.”
Jacobs said the South African medical aid funds require a medical report first before deciding whether it is a medical emergency.
“If your sugar levels and blood pressure are normal, they will not send a helicopter. Then we have to decide what to do, sit back and wait for the situation to worsen and die.”
He explained that the company undertakes evacuations, not search and rescues, and this is what the medical aid funds must understand.
Jacobs stressed that when tourists visit other countries, they should make their medical aid funds aware that they are travelling.
“People do not just call from the canyons because they are tired. They get injured and sometimes can just not physically continue with the hike and because there is a shortage of water."
Ministry responds
Spokesperson for the environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda, said the ministry is concerned about the number of rescue operations and whether hikers adhere to various requirements, such as fitness certificates, before entering the canyon.
“Perhaps we need to intensify these requirements. Probably there is also an element of false declaration, meaning perhaps doctors are not giving a true account of the fitness of these people.
“If that is true, the doctors are actually gambling with people’s lives.”
Muyunda further said the canyon is tough terrain to hike and that those who are undertaking the activity should be prepared for it both physically and mentally.
He further underlined that hikers need their own insurance.
“They should have that arrangement made before hiking the canyon and be prepared in cases of emergency.”
The ministry could not yet comment on whether there are any plans to close the hiking trail.
This rescue followed closely on the heels of a major operation to extract 13 people from the canyon earlier this month, which lasted approximately 35 hours.
Following that operation, the tourism ministry announced it was considering whether the Fish River Canyon hiking trail should be closed, given several rescue operations conducted since the hiking season opened on 1 May.
Concerns have arisen regarding the safety of hikers in the canyon and whether there is sufficient water to ensure safety.
Difficult job
Conrad Jacobs, the national operations manager for Namibia Medical Rescue Service 24/7 (MR24/7), told Namibian Sun that two separate rescue operations took place, involving an elderly man on Wednesday, 15 May, and two elderly women the following Friday. All of them are South African citizens.
Jacobs said they were all experienced hikers and medically fit, but they all complained of diarrhoea.
As with the previous group, as soon as they were rescued and started drinking water again, their health improved.
“These are experienced hikers, some of whom have walked the canyon several times before. They know what to do, so there is definitely something wrong there.”
Jacobs further said that, as with the previous case, they again experienced problems with the medical aid fund in South Africa to organise a helicopter rescue operation for the two women.
“The medical aid simply said that they would not pay for it. The medical aid expects a medical form from the hikers in the canyons," he said.
“Like the two women on Friday, they were five hours away from any civilisation. So just to send my staff from Keetmanshoop is a three-hour drive, then they have to walk five hours into the canyon just to take tests for things such as blood pressure and sugar levels to provide to the medical aid.
“Then they have to hike out again to provide the results and condition of the hikers before the medical aid will decide whether it will pay or not.”
Jacobs said the South African medical aid funds require a medical report first before deciding whether it is a medical emergency.
“If your sugar levels and blood pressure are normal, they will not send a helicopter. Then we have to decide what to do, sit back and wait for the situation to worsen and die.”
He explained that the company undertakes evacuations, not search and rescues, and this is what the medical aid funds must understand.
Jacobs stressed that when tourists visit other countries, they should make their medical aid funds aware that they are travelling.
“People do not just call from the canyons because they are tired. They get injured and sometimes can just not physically continue with the hike and because there is a shortage of water."
Ministry responds
Spokesperson for the environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda, said the ministry is concerned about the number of rescue operations and whether hikers adhere to various requirements, such as fitness certificates, before entering the canyon.
“Perhaps we need to intensify these requirements. Probably there is also an element of false declaration, meaning perhaps doctors are not giving a true account of the fitness of these people.
“If that is true, the doctors are actually gambling with people’s lives.”
Muyunda further said the canyon is tough terrain to hike and that those who are undertaking the activity should be prepared for it both physically and mentally.
He further underlined that hikers need their own insurance.
“They should have that arrangement made before hiking the canyon and be prepared in cases of emergency.”
The ministry could not yet comment on whether there are any plans to close the hiking trail.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article