Specialised Trauma Air Response - STAR
They give so that they may live; for to withhold is to perish" KAHLIL GIBRAN
Specialised Trauma Air Response is a specialist Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), utilizing a helicopter platform to provide life saving and critical interventions to the critically ill and injured patient. The STAR HEMS program is world renowned, and has received international accreditation for the quality and nature of the service.
The STAR vision is to provide a safe and sustainable HEMS service to all citizens of South Africa.
As a Section 21 Non Profit Organization, audited by Independent Auditors KPMG on a totally transparent manner, STAR is heavily dependant on sponsorships and donations to fulfill this vision.
Working closely within the health systems, the STAR system adds significant value from a patient outcome, cost saving and system support perspective.
STAR was born in 1999 when the provincial government withdrew all subsidy from the original "Flight for Life" Service, based in Johannesburg, which was then downgraded from a 24 hour operation to a 12 hour, daylight only operation.
STAR took over the Flight for Life service in October 1999, working closely with Flight For Life, and through partnerships and enhancing service delivery, quickly saw the Johannesburg operation returned to a 24 hour operation, still working closely with the Provincial Government. In line with the original Vision, STAR progressed to introducing and operating more bases throughout the Country, providing the 24 hour operation in Gauteng, supported by a daylight Service operating out of Tshwane, a limited 24 hour operation in the Northern Province based in Polokwane, along with daylight operations in Kwa- Zulu Natal and the Western Cape.
These operations are achieved with extremely limited state subsidy, who reimburse STAR only for missions undertaken on their behalf, and therefore STAR relies heavily on corporate sponsorships, such as the limited sponsorship generously provided by a local Cellular Company - Cell C. A tightly monitored medical and financial structure within the company ensures that we are able to continue our services to all South Africans.
STAR operates according to strict dispatch guidelines extrapolated from numerous international studies which show which type of illness or injury benefits most from Helicopter Evacuation. These guidelines ensure that STAR's role within the governmental health systems is maximized.
STAR Helicopters are crewed by a Paramedic and Emergency Doctor at all times, this level of care is only found on 18 other services internationally, and STAR is the only Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Africa that offers a 24 hour service.
The medical crew, operations centre personnel and most of the pilots are principally volunteers, who offer their time freely, crew entry criteria is exceptionally strict, and they are selected through numerous criteria, which have to be met before they are allowed to apply to fly as Flight crew.
STAR maintains a neutral and independent position in the emergency setting, thus allowing both Private and Government services, the ability to have access to the system. This allows all South Africans, access to state of the art Aeromedical care, and the time saving resource which we provide.
Again, in line with the Vision, in excess of 76 % of patients flown and impacted are from disadvantaged communities, the vast majority if which are from rural and semi rural communities who would normally never have had access to this type of system.
On average the STAR system services between 150 - 200 calls per month, which consist of a mixture of Inter-facility transfers and Primary medical responses.
Working closely with the health systems in which it operates, STAR has shown the following benefits, not only to the critically ill patient, but to the entire system as well.


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