Oliver Wright of SAPAESA (South African Private Ambulance & Emergency Services Association) wrote the following "Identification in the emergency medical setting is a life-saving necessity. If you are unconscious, without any means to identify yourself, or your medical aid card is missing, a frightening number of private hospitals in South Africa may refuse to admit you for emergency medical intervention. Getting a patient to the right hospital, for the right treatment, with the right information at the right time could mean the difference between life and death and SAPAESA encourages all South Africans to ensure that they are fully prepared for this possibility. The CrisisOnCall wristband addresses the above mentioned needs." "As Paramedics an important component in treating a patient quickly and effectively is the access to information regarding the patient. We need information about their medical conditions, medication taken by the patient, allergies etc. As practitioners we have all been at the scene of an emergency where no information of a patient was available or nobody knew the patient. This is when a product such as the CrisisOnCall ID wristband has a major advantage". - Bernice Kitshoff, Branch Manager of Netcare911

I am an Advanced Life Support Paramedic working in the Pretoria and Johannesburg area. I often encounter cases where I can see what a difference an identification system would have made. It is very frustrating when I, as a paramedic, want to treat my patient but I have to struggle to get information from them. It mostly happens when he or she cannot talk to me or they are confused when talking to me.

Recently I was despatched to a suburb where I found an elderly patient. When I arrived on the scene, the patient was confused and disturbed. The patient manifested symptoms of a stroke which in medical terms is known as a "CVA" (Cerebro Vascular Accident).

The CrisisOnCall bracelet helped me with the patient's medical history and also helped me as paramedic to arrange for the correct medical facility for optimum treatment. It made my task easier as I was able to concentrate on treating the patient to the best of my ability.

Time is of the essence in medical cases like these. As a paramedic you only have an hour to prevent permanent damage or serious disability. That is why I believe in the CrisisOnCall system as it saves me time in determining the correct medical facility for my patient. CrisisOnCall has also helped me in the past with medical identification when I most needed it.

One of the reasons why I, as a paramedic, am a member of CrisisOnCall, is because I know the difference it can make to someone in times of emergency.

W Le Roux, ALS Paramedic:
At around 22:22 on 16 January an Emer-G-Med ambulance responded to a scene where a Security guard was run down by a speeding vehicle in Pretoria. Fortunately, the patient was a CrisisOnCall member and all information could be obtained via the wristband. He was transported with Advanced Life Support to a nearby hospital with Chest injuries.

LIMITATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

Note that patients are often robbed at accident scenes. Due to the impact of the accident patients are often separated from their cell phones and handbags. Senior Superintendent Alta Fourie, representative of the Tshwane Metro Police said the following in the Pretoria News:"... the theft of accident victims' personal belongings is an unfortunate reality." Various other media articles underline the same problem. "Crash victims robbed" - SABC - 20 March 2016: The helpless victims of a fatal bakkie crash in Johannesburg were robbed by "bystanders" seconds after the accident, before paramedics arrived at the scene on Sunday morning. "Robbed while he bled!" The Beeld, reports on 9th September, under the headline "Robbed while he bleeds" of a young man (Quinton Wagner) that was seriously injured in an accident and then robbed after being dragged into the bushes at a mini bus taxi rank. The other party that was also involved in the accident, but not injured, were also robbed. The CPF that came to help, also suffered under the hands of these criminals.

"It is easy in an emergency - a car accident or hijacking - to be separated from your wallet or your purse containing your medical aid card. The inability to produce this information at a private hospital may lead to a delay that could compromise your chance for survival."

Sometimes people are under the impression that their medical aid membership card will be a passport to a private medical facility. The reality is that even a card with your photo and information will be of little help as handbags and wallets are often separated from patients. (Effective identification means something that you wear on your body, like a wristband.)

• The sticker only has the medical aid name on and not a membership number
• Windows break and in most cases the sticker is then rendered useless.
• Stickers cannot be linked to one specific person in the vehicle.
• Stickers on car windows do not necessarily link to the owner of the vehicle. It might have been the previous owner's sticker.

• Most people use a security key to lock their phones. Therefore, it would be inaccessible by emergency personnel.
• In some cases, cell phones are damaged during a collision or stolen.
• Cell phones cannot always be connected to one specific person in the vehicle