one year
5 July 2006
Johannesburg Hospital continues to make strides in improving the quality of
life of the people of Gauteng and other provinces.
The hospital conducted 22 821 operations from January to December last
year.
These included 1 007 cardiothoracic operations, 2 130 paediatric operations
and 7 479 gynae and obstetrics surgery procedures. Other operations were
related to urology, ophthalmology, maxilo-facial, general surgery,
orthopaedics, neurology and renal problems.
Hospital CEO, Sagie Pillay, said it was encouraging to see that the hospital
had been able to do complete so many surgical procedures despite challenges
posed by the shortage of skilled theatre nurses and surgeons.
"Comparatively speaking we are doing well," said Pillay.
The hospital works as a national quaternary referral centre servicing
patients from the North West and Mpumalanga provinces in addition to those from
the Gauteng Province.
In the period only 443 operations were cancelled. This was due to failure by
parents or guardians to give consent for the operations to precede, patients
refusing operations, patients arriving late for scheduled operations, patients
too sick to be operated on or a sudden increase in trauma cases leading to
unplanned use of theatres and intensive care units.
Pillay said cardiothoracic surgery is complex, expensive and high technology
but the hospital prioritises cases and addresses the most urgent first.
"Anyone who presents with an emergency will receive treatment irrespective
of budgetary and other constraints," Pillay said.
With the opening of the new Hillbrow Community Health Centre, the hospital
will be able to concentrate more on complex life saving medical
interventions.
The community health centre will relieve the hospital of the number of
patients with less complicated medical conditions.
In line with this the hospital's poly clinic which caters for primary
healthcare patients will be moved to the community health centre with effect
from September this year.
For more information contact:
Simon Zwane
Tel: (011) 355 3503
Cell: 082 551 9892
Sagie Pillay
Tel: (011) 488 3792
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
5 July 2006
