official opening of the Pretoria Academic Hospital
2 March 2007
Programme director,
Premier of Gauteng,
MEC for Health,
CEO of Pretoria Academic Hospital and
Vice chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria and Dean of the
Faculty of Health Sciences
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a great pleasure and an honour for me to be part of this historic
occasion that marks significant progress in government's effort to improve
health service delivery.
As you know, I was appointed the Acting Minister of Health earlier this
week. Although I have had a few meetings relating to health, this is
effectively the first public event that I am participating in as the Acting
Minister of Health.
As you have heard, the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, was
admitted at Johannesburg General Hospital last week. I would therefore like to
take this opportunity to wish her a speedy recovery. Together with the
management of the Department of Health, we will in the meantime continue to
intensify the implementation of all programmes of government in the health
sector.
This is a day worth celebrating as we are opening the Pretoria Academic
Hospital which demonstrates the progress that government is making in improving
the hospital infrastructure.
We have a comprehensive programme called the Hospital Revitalisation
Programme through which we are improving the hospital infrastructure in all the
provinces. We are also ensuring that a revitalised hospital receives the
necessary equipment and at the same time, we make efforts to strengthen
management capacity at a hospitals level. There are at least 29 hospitals where
construction is currently underway as part of the revitalisation programme with
a budget of at least R1,2 billion in the current financial year. The budget
increases to R2 billion in the next financial year beginning next month.
Pretoria Academic Hospital is one of the national referral hospitals and a
national asset. I call it a national asset because as a referral hospital, it
will offer services to all the people of South Africa.
It is important to note that this is the second tertiary hospital to be
built by the current democratic government, the first one being Inkosi Albert
Luthuli Hospital in Durban.
It has required a significant investment to build this hospital which is
costed at about R1,2 billion: R700 million for the buildings and R500 million
for procurement of the necessary equipment.
This is a state-of-the-art facility with a variety of cutting edge health
technology aimed at enhancing efficiency and patient care. The digital and
electronic data system for instance will improve the capturing, storage and
accessibility of patient information. As we move into the digital age, we need
to ensure that there is a foolproof backup system to protect patient
records.
This hospital is part of the teaching platform for the University of
Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology and SG Lourens Nursing College for
the training of undergraduate and postgraduate students in various health
disciplines.
We appreciate in particular the strong working relationship between Pretoria
Academic Hospital and the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of
Pretoria for the continued provision of academic and professional support as
well as financial contributions made by the university to the hospital.
I would like to commend this hospital for many landmark achievements made in
the past two years particularly the successful separation of Siamese twins, and
the successful re-attachment of the right arm of a two-year old whose arm was
ripped off in a taxi accident. Let me take this opportunity to commend all the
health workers in this institution for commitment to excellence and quality
healthcare.
As we continue to improve hospital infrastructure, it is important to also
intensify the implementation of other programmes that have an impact on the
health of our population including prevention of vehicle accidents and
improvement of road safety through programmes such as the taxi
recapitalisation. We know that intentional and non-intentional injuries have
significant impact in increasing the demand for emergency and trauma
services.
In conclusion, Programme Director, the opening of this hospital is tangible
evidence of the progress we are making in improving the hospital
infrastructure. We will be ensuring that the Hospital Revitalisation Programme
covers those institutions where there are significant challenges as result of
deterioration of the infrastructure and high demand for services. We want to
ensure that the masses of our people who use the public health sector benefit
from quality.
We are confident that with the improvements that have been made, Pretoria
Academic Hospital will make even more contribution in the provision of high
quality care and academic excellence in the country.
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Health
2 March 2007
