how do i stop my buddys dieing in far cry 2

I've made 4 buddies in far cry 2 and already 3 of them are dead because when i go on missions with them they are incredibly stupid and get shot at all the time, I play on hardcore mode any tips on how to make them survive?

If they're on the ground dying, make sure you have Syrettes (the health syringes), then go up to em and press H (or you haft to press E to interact with em I think), I can't remember, i've had one guy die. If you left click you shoot em in the head. (I didn't have any syrettes, so he was a goner anyway).