Because of the diversity and demographic vastness in South Africa, most levels outside
the semi-professional and professional rugby structures have limited medical support,
medical equipment, medical facilities and qualified medical personnel at matches
if at all. Coaches and referees therefore frequently have to make important safety
decisions on whether a match should take place or not, or how to proceed if an emergency
situation presents itself on the field. It is for this reason that BokSmart has
developed guidelines for minimum medical standards before a match can take place,
and provides a basic medical resource and basic medical training for non-medical
personnel in the DVD workshops. In addition it has also developed a ‘rugby’ first
aid training program, called the BokSmart Rugby Medic program. The Rugby Medic program
provides coaches, referees, players, and any involved person in the rugby community,
at the very least, with the primary skills necessary to be able to identify and
manage a potentially serious or catastrophic concussion, head, neck, or spine injury.
The focus of the Rugby Medic program is mainly on the disadvantaged and under-resourced
areas, which do not have any appropriate equipment, training or medical support.
These clubs or schools are often identified by the unions, or can directly request
training, and BokSmart, within the constraints of an annual and regionally allocated
budget, provides the Rugby Medic training at no cost to these schools or clubs.
If the trained rugby club or school do not possess the minimum emergency medical
equipment required to appropriately stabilise and support a seriously injured player,
and they comply with specific minimum criteria, BokSmart, within the constraints
of an annual and regionally allocated budget, provides them with a complete set
consisting of a spinal board, cervical collar, spider harness, and head blocks at
no cost.
On top of this BokSmart provides a toll-free National emergency telephone helpline
called the ‘BokSmart Spineline’ to expedite and fast track the emergency treatment
and management of a potentially seriously injured rugby player. The BokSmart Spineline
is a dedicated emergency rugby helpline for serious concussion, head, neck and spine
injuries. The number (0800 678 678) is linked to a National Emergency Service Provider,
ER24, who provides the necessary advice, initial telephonic screen, and dispatches
or arranges suitable transportation of the injured player to the nearest or most
suitable medical facility as required. Part of the BokSmart training is to educate
everyone on the availability of this service.
The BokSmart workshop for coaches and referees also addresses both the emergency
identification and management of these injuries, and reinforces the accessibility
to the BokSmart Spineline. In this way BokSmart has tried to intervene by providing
these different levels of training to non-medical personnel to combat the lack of
suitable medical support, equipment and staffing at matches around the country.