Paardevlei Emergency Centre 3.28

Born and educated during turbulent but morally interesting political times in Somerset West, Errol Visser began practicing Family Medicine in the Helderberg area in 1989. At that stage Somerset West and its surrounds was still the quintessential country town and he has seen it growing to the sprawling metropolis it now has become.
During Family Practice, the Emergency Medicine aspect was a strong magnet which resulted in him doing regular work at the Hottentots Holland Hospital (now Helderberg) and Medi City which later became the Mediclinic group.
After 14 years in private work, he was instrumental in building up the Emergency Centre in the private setting in Somerset West, achieving recognition as a facility that conformed to International benchmarks.
After 5 years, he decided to continue his career in the state sector, where the exposure to emergency medicine in a Third World setting with limited resources was optimised.
During this time he pursued outside interest by equipping himself with a BA degree in Biblical Studies and Archaeology for fun, and which he accomplished with a cum laude. He decided to broaden his medical interests and qualified as a Hyperbaric Medicine Physician, once again summa cum laude.
Errol Visser has been actively involved in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students, which included being appointed as Honorary Lecturer in Emergency Medicine (Stellenbosch University and UCT) and Hyperbaric Medicine (Stellenbosch University).
He has also been active in encouraging and teaching young doctors to qualify for postgraduate studies in Anaesthetics, Pathology and Emergency Medicine as well as being involved in the mentoring of international and national medical students from South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, USA, Australia, France, Germany, UK and the Netherlands.
Many of these students are now authorities in their fields and it is a proud moment to reflect on the influence and experience gained in this local area and he hopes to be instrumental in such academic endeavours at the Paardevlei Unit as well.
A protagonist for equality and fairness has often led to strong differences in opinion with state and private mindsets, and strengthened his resolve to practice ethically defensible and morally courageous medicine.
In 2010 he headed up the Emergency Department at Eerste River Hospital, which had the unique distinction of progressive healthcare management, disproving many stereotypes held of state facilities. .
In 2013 he worked for the United Nation in Mogadishu, Somalia, where he assisted in establishing a Level 2 hospital as well as overseeing and mentoring the medical care of 21 000 African Union troops, mass casualty management and skills upgrading of the international medical personnel.
Passionate about overcoming boundaries both personal and in a broader setting, he had set himself goals by overcoming inertia generally and his own fear of heights. This has culminated in his taking part in sky diving, paragliding, abseiling and running the famous Two Oceans, setting personal goals to break out of the mould of conformity.
Enthusiastic about corporate social responsibility, coupled with his intimate knowledge of the Helderberg Basin, he is excited and keen to make the Paardevlei Emergency Centre a relevant and interactive part of the community at large as well as providing emergency medical care at levels that exceed expectation.