Industry News

HIGH expectations of hospitals

11 February 2009

In Categories: Industry News , Industry News > General , Industry News > Patients

There are several reasons why communities have very high expectations of hospitals – private and public - writes Lucas Malambe. For starters, healthcare institutions are centres of hope where the sick are brought back to health and the road to long life. To a certain extent hospitals can’t afford the luxury of uninterrupted observation, detachment and aloofness from the problems of society.

In the face of providing life-saving healthcare services, engagement with society must also be looked at as the sine
qua non for the success and the quality of the core business of any hospital. In my opinion, a hospital that is one
with its society is one with a heart.

In the past few weeks, both public and private healthcare sectors have received a significant number of calls as a result of the now dissipating cholera outbreak in the country. In times of distress, consumers look to the leaders
within health for direction and comfort. After all, they are the reason for the two sectors existing and it is their health needs which are most important.

Again, given their specialty in health and healthcare delivery, hospitals and their partners in the private healthcare industry, such as medical funders, doctors and suppliers, joined hands to help government deal with the cholera eruption. The Private Sector Task Team (PTT) established The Cholera Desk to co-ordinate the sector’s
response to the cholera outbreak that has hit our republic, especially Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

The desk is currently coordinated through the Hospital Association of SA. The Cholera Desk will, on behalf of all participants, facilitate the private sector’s response to requests for assistance from the public sector, and do so in conjunction with provincial and national departments of health. Thanks to those who take time (through their
organisations) to assist wherever they can.

The public and private sectors have established four central points to coordinate these benevolent activities. Three of those are in Limpopo at Helene Franz, WF Knobel and Dilokong Hospitals. In Mpumalanga, efforts are largely coordinated through Matikwane Hospital to cover the hardest hit areas of Bushbuckridge and Mkhuhlu. There has been a lull over the past few days, but we have been told to expect an increase in patients as it continues to rain. Issues around the sources of drinking water are yet to be adequately resolved.

The Cholera Help Desk, at this stage, urges health professionals in the vicinity of these locations to assist as and when they are able to. Thank you to the companies which dedicate resources and time to this challenge. Close to R400 000 was raised and invested in newspaper advertisements to create awareness about the symptoms, prevention and treatment of cholera. Plans to double this amount are afoot, to include a more targeted radio campaign.
The Department of Health has also asked for approximately 500 000 pamphlets and 100 000 posters to be printed for use in Mpumalanga. Doctors, nurses, care givers and healthcare promoters contributed towards our combined efforts. At the time of going to press, the outbreak was losing momentum in spite of approximately 6 000 cholera cases recorded in SA, across Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng and, to a lesser extent, KZN. Sadly, despite all the best
efforts, lives were lost. May the concerted effort of the public and private sector this time round prevent loss of life in future.