SAJPEC: A new dawn for pre-hospital emergency care in South Africa

The South African pre-hospital setting has made remarkable progress since the development of emergency care short courses more than three decades ago. The profession has moved from boxtype ambulances staffed with ambulance drivers to well-equipped emergency response vehicles and ambulance aircraft staffed with paramedics with professional degrees.1 Paramedics are now in a position to enroll for a Doctoral degree in emergency medical care or equivalent, a first for the African continent.1 Having paramedics with postgraduate qualifications means that there is an opportunity for research output emanating from their research projects. It is against this backdrop that a working group of the Emergency Care Society of South Africa conceptualized the idea of the South African Journal of Pre-hospital Emergency Care (SAJPEC).