adversely affected hospital
17 November 2006
The North West Department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of
Public Works, will be visiting the people of Matlosana and the affected area on
Monday, 20 November 2006.The advent of a natural disaster in the hospital which
have caused alarm and panic to the clientele of our optimum healthcare services
has caused both MECs to leave their tight schedules to look at what really is
the progress in terms of returning the services of Tshepong Hospital back to
normal.
Tshepong Hospital was one of the shining examples of some of our hospitals
which was competing with one of the best private hospital in our country pound
for pound. The Department of Health has invested in the hospital with state of
the art modern equipment and the hospital was tasked by the MEC to explore the
possibility of gradually introducing well researched tertiary services in the
province. This was done in line with the Department's quest to attract skills
and services that we normally get around Gauteng.
The MECs will be visiting the affected wards in the hospital like the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU), OPD, laboratory, pharmacy and x-ray departments.
They will also be looking at and evaluating the extent to which our information
tables are helping our communities to access their loved ones transferred
during the floods. The MECs will also do the following:
* inspect the effectiveness of the toll-free line established for disaster
relief to families affected
* interact with eyewitnesses around the hospital on what exactly happened
* the MEC for Public Works will also relate the report on the structural damage
to the real situation at hand.
The Department will continue to extend access to quality healthcare to the
people around Matlosana area, despite the fact that floods have unfortunately
caused extensive damage to Tshepong Hospital, which has caused alarm not only
to the families of patients in the hospital but also the entire departmental
staff. The North West Department of Health is therefore making this public
announcement that indeed Tshepong Hospital is flooded and the wards ICU, OPD,
laboratory, pharmacy and x-ray department sustained damage as a result of the
heavy rainfall with hail that has afflicted the area yesterday.
The MECs will also have an opportunity to match the recommendations on the
cost of reconstruction or make a proper assessment in terms of structural
damage in the hospital. The other additional task will be to meet with our hard
working staff that spent a sleepless night and went through knee level water
with frost to save the lives of their fellow citizens of our beloved rainbow
nation. It is only fair to say that indeed our cadres of public servants in
Tshepong are equal to none.
The departmental top management, including the Superintendent-General (SG)
and Deputy Director-General (DDG), will accompany the MEC to Tshepong Hospital
to inspect the damage physically and ensure the safety of patients. They will
also asses the intervention measures taken by the hospital management to find
solutions to the immediate challenges at hand. This team will include the
physical structure and planning directorate of the Department.
Contact:
Zakes Molala
Acting departmental spokesperson
Tel: (018) 387 5830
Fax: (018) 387 5830
E-mail: lmolala@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Health, North West Provincial Government
17 November 2006
Source: North West Provincial Government (http://www.nw.gov.za)
