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** STARS air ambulance flights to resume in Manitoba soon?

** 4 South African medics facing disciplinary action after allegedly refusing to transport dirty patient

** Winnipeg’s STARS air ambulance service is expected to soon resume after Manitoba’s health minister grounded choppers Monday. That is the word from the Winnipeg Free Press (Bruce Owen/December 4) which quoted Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) CEO Andrea Robertson as saying she wants the southern Manitoba service back in the air ASAP. According to the newspaper, flights were halted following a Friday incident in which a female cardiac arrest patient died. The incident is the third involving STARS and patient oxygen delivery this year. In February, an undetailed incident with an adult also took place, while in May a two-year-old boy suffered brain damage after a breathing tube became dislodged during flight. His parents have launched a lawsuit over the matter. The province is now reviewing 15 STARS cases. In addition, the auditor general is also undertaking a value for money audit.

** Four Johannesburg paramedics could face disciplinary action after allegedly refusing to transport a female patient because she was too dirty. Eyewitness News (December 3) said the group apparently declined service to Soweto resident Sarah Bezuidenhout last Thursday after she suffered an urgent medical event. Bezuidenhout subsequently died the next day at home. EMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said, if true, the behaviour is unacceptable.

** London Ambulance in UK to screen EMS calls to ease strain of winter demand

** Baltimore paramedic pair under investigation after leaving patient in alley

** Increased ambulance demand over the winter months means London Ambulance Service will no longer respond to all 999 calls. That is the word from 97.3 FM (November 28) which said call screeners will determine whether or not medics are actually required at a particular call scene. Referrals to a 111 line, doctor, or pharmacist might result for those deemed considerably less urgent in nature. Responses will remain the same, however, for tots under 2 and seniors over 70. Service spokesman Jason Killens said the seriously ill would receive prehospital care. Those with splinters and colds would not.

** A pair of female Baltimore paramedics is under internal investigation after allegedly leaving a homeless man with chest pain in an alley. WBAL TV (David Collins/November 29) said the practitioners let the man, who is also blind and a diabetic, out of the ambulance at his own request. Saying the patient was violent and verbally abusive, the medics told authorities he also refused treatment. In addition, he was drunk, well known as a frequent ambulance flyer, and allegedly groped one of the women. The September 27th incident came to light after a bystander complaint. Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Ian Brennan, meanwhile, said an administrative hearing on the matter has not yet been scheduled.