The new Natalspruit Hospital is a sign of things to come
One particular area of concern covered by Gauteng Premier David Makhura is in essential healthcare. As a result of problems in financial management and administration, in the previous term of office the Health Turnaround Strategy was introduced and the department of health was placed under section 18 of the PFMA. According to Makhura, the province is making good progress and the Gauteng department of health is expected to be back in the black and operating normally by May 2015.
The strategy includes stabilising the finances and other aspects of the administration. Makhura said that the department is registering improvements in the timeous payment of suppliers, elimination of accruals and revenue management.
There are now 375 primary health care facilities in the province, and Makhura said that by 2019, the province would have over 200 clinics that comply with norms and standards. It is also the intention to increase the number of ward-based primary healthcare teams to over 400.
“Our interventions have led to increased life expectancy at birth from 56.1% for males over the period 2001 to 2006, to 62.9% in the 2011 to 2016 period, and for females from 60.2% to 66.4%. We have also shown significant successes in reducing the incidence of TB and in achieving a treatment cure rate of 85.1%, above the target of 84%,” he said.
“In intensifying the fight against HIV and Aids, we have tested over eight million people and initiated close to one million people on anti-retroviral therapy. We have reduced infant positivity to 1.4%, through the programme to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child, and are intensifying our campaigns on HIV and Aids and TB, paying particular attention to encouraging our people to live healthy lifestyles.”
The province has been involved for some time with the Helen Joseph Pharmacy Automation Project, in partnership with the Right to Care — a Section 21 organisation that supports and delivers prevention, care, and treatment services for HIV and associated diseases.
This project is situated in the Themba Lethu Clinic and utilises a machine to dispense medication, which is scanned by the pharmacist into a computer from a patient file, with the prescription from the doctor. Patient data saved in the computer displays current and previous prescriptions and any other important clinical data.
e-Health
Raising the issue of service at hospitals, Makhura said: “During one of my unannounced visits to Tembisa Hospital I came face-to-face with the reality many of our people grapple with on a daily basis — waiting in long queues to either collect medication or see a doctor.
“Patients told me part of the reason for the long hours in queues was the hospital using a manual filing system, making it difficult to locate patients’ files with ease and speed, and files get lost.
“Our e-health programme will help us bring an end to this totally unacceptable state of affairs and as part of the modernisation of public health, we will prioritise the development of e-health systems.”
The New Natalspruit Hospital in Vosloorus is one of the first facilities in South Africa to deploy a secure, fully electronic filing system for all patient records. Makhura said the transfer of paper files, started in August 2014, is now complete and the system holds patient profiles, medical history, chronic medication records and an efficient billing system. The Natalspruit Hospital itself holds real promise for what is to come in terms of other hospitals, boasting 821 beds, six theatre rooms and up-to-date equipment, including a new Lodox scanning machine.
“This is our hospital of the future,” said Makhura. “A sign of things to come. We will commence with the building of new hospitals in Soshanguve and Lilian Ngoyi as well as revitalisation of the Jubilee, Kalafong, Sebokeng, Yusuf Dadoo, Tambo Memorial and Kyalami hospitals.”
National Health Insurance pilot
“We are making good progress in the rollout of the National Health Insurance, which has been piloted in Tshwane. We are also pleased to note that we are the best performing province in assessments of compliance with national core standards in health. Gauteng was rated at 75.6% against the national average of 65.8%.”
Makhura also announced that following a community participation process, three hospitals are to be renamed to honour “some outstanding martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our freedom”. Zola-Jabulani Hospital will be named after Bheki Mlangeni, the Natalspruit Hospital will be named after Thelle Mogoerane and the Far East Rand Hospital will be named after Ruth First.