Date: 07/04/2004
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: G Ramokgopa: Launch of Chris Hani Hospital Revitalisation Programme
SPEECH BY GAUTENG HEALTH MEC, DR GWEN RAMOKGOPA, AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE CHRIS HANI-BARAGWANATH HOSPITAL REVITALISATION, Soweto, 7 April 2004
Greetings
I am honoured to be here with you today to celebrate the official start of revitalisation of this hospital. Today marks the beginning of work to replace the old Casualty and Outpatients departments that have given this hospital a bad name. It also marks the fulfilment of a promise we made in June last year to transform health services in Soweto and other areas south of Johannesburg.
It is appropriate that we are having this event today when the whole world is observing World Health Day. The theme for the day is Road Safety is No Accident and is keeping with that theme we will be handing over 25 new ambulances which will assist in responding to road accidents and minimise deaths.
In total we have bought 69 ambulances and the remaining 44 will be delivered later in the year. These ambulances are in addition to 70 ambulances we delivered last year.
Road accidents are placing a huge burden on our hospitals and emergency services. Motor related accidents account for 28.8% of the 400 000 calls that our emergency service respond to annually and I therefore urge all road users as we approach the Easter Holidays to:
Reduce speed. The World Health Organisation estimates that speed contributes at least 30% of road crashes and accidents.
Avoid drinking alcohol before driving. The risk of crashed crashes is higher when the driver or pedestrian has taken alcohol.
Wear seatbelts and put children on restraints: Seatbelts reduce fatal or serious injuries by 40% to 65% and restraints reduce infant's deaths by 71%.
Wear helmets: Head injuries are the main cause of death among motorbike drivers and bicycle accident cause major injuries among children.
Be visible. The WHO says that drivers who drive with their lights on reduce their chances of being involved in crashes by 10 to 15% and in about half of pedestrian accidents drivers says they did not see the pedestrian.
There is definitely a reason to celebrate the demolition of the casualty and OPD at this hospital today. A new OPD with spacious waiting areas and consulting rooms will replace the old cramped structure that was an insult to the dignity of our patients and staff.
This project is another example of how government wants to improve the quality of care for all our people. This is not just a once off upgrading of a single hospital but it is part of a programme aimed at systematic revitalization of our facilities.
This multi-phased project will take place over a period of about six years and will cost approximately R700 million. It will include:
* Building of two district hospital, one a Zola here in Soweto and the other at Lenasia
* Building three community health centres
* Building two clinics.
These facilities will be built on the latest trends and technology to provide state of the art yet cost effective facilities. The revitalisation programme will also ensure that communities have better access to services.
Government also realized that over and above the rehabilitation and upgrading of the facilities themselves, a fully integrated approach is needed to provide equitable and sustainable health services to everyone. To only build a new infrastructure while ignoring other factors such as health equipment, management and personnel will not meet the level of the quality of care that we want to provide to our people.
This government is serious about planning and implementing health services in such a way that every individual, whether in township or historically white suburbs, will have equitable access to the health services. It is for this reason that we have invested R698 million in equipment across the province since 1999.
The ever-increasing number patients with AIDS related illnesses, TB and other debilitating conditions is placing an enormous burden on the provision of health services and cannot be handled by hospitals alone. We need to care for different groups of patients at appropriate levels which means some will be catered for within the home based care, step down facilities and hospitals.
Our response to this challenge requires a partnership with communities, non-governmental organizations and community based organizations, aimed at providing adequate support for these patients while intensifying our campaign to prevent further spread of diseases including HIV and AIDS.
The project we are launching today must be seen as only a first step towards a cost-effective and sustainable integration of health services in our smart province.
This hospital together with all the clinics, community health centres and smaller hospitals referring to it need to be managed in such a way that all health needs are covered without any gaps or duplication of services.
As part of the revitalisation programme, the health department would ensure that all facilities will have sufficient personnel at appropriate levels and there will be adequate support to enable the delivery of all necessary health services.
A process has already started whereby each hospital management team have certain delegated powers, which enable them to have a far greater control over budgets and the running of their hospitals.
The management team must also ensure that we implement our Service Improvement Plan to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. This means that:
* Clinics are the first point of entry into the health and are not bypassed.
* The average length of stay of acute patients is monitored and recorded.
* Bed occupancy rates are around 85%.
* Voluntary Testing and Counselling and Termination of Pregnancies are being done with dignity and empathy.
* The development of home based care and the provision of sub-acute facilities such as step-downs and hospices are actively promoted.
* And referrals to higher and lower levels of care are properly recorded and followed up.
We still have a long way to go but the Department of Health is determined to reduce present inequities and to improve, together with other stakeholders, the quality of health services.
In conclusion I would like to stress the vital importance of Community participation and support. Government cannot do any of the things I have spoken about without your help. You, as a community, have a critical role to play in the planning and management of your health services.
You therefore have to participate in hospital boards and clinic committees where you can highlight your interest and needs as a community. You should hold all of us - the management and health workers - accountable to you as the public.
This is the only way you can assist government to monitor the implementation of our guiding principles of Batho Pele, the Patient's Rights Charter and the Service Pledge.
This hospital belongs to you and therefore you must look after it. Always be available to assist in ensuring that it provides an effective service to you as a community.
For more information contact
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
Issued by: Department Of Health, Gauteng Provincial Government
7 April 2004
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: G Ramokgopa: Launch of Chris Hani Hospital Revitalisation Programme
SPEECH BY GAUTENG HEALTH MEC, DR GWEN RAMOKGOPA, AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE CHRIS HANI-BARAGWANATH HOSPITAL REVITALISATION, Soweto, 7 April 2004
Greetings
I am honoured to be here with you today to celebrate the official start of revitalisation of this hospital. Today marks the beginning of work to replace the old Casualty and Outpatients departments that have given this hospital a bad name. It also marks the fulfilment of a promise we made in June last year to transform health services in Soweto and other areas south of Johannesburg.
It is appropriate that we are having this event today when the whole world is observing World Health Day. The theme for the day is Road Safety is No Accident and is keeping with that theme we will be handing over 25 new ambulances which will assist in responding to road accidents and minimise deaths.
In total we have bought 69 ambulances and the remaining 44 will be delivered later in the year. These ambulances are in addition to 70 ambulances we delivered last year.
Road accidents are placing a huge burden on our hospitals and emergency services. Motor related accidents account for 28.8% of the 400 000 calls that our emergency service respond to annually and I therefore urge all road users as we approach the Easter Holidays to:
Reduce speed. The World Health Organisation estimates that speed contributes at least 30% of road crashes and accidents.
Avoid drinking alcohol before driving. The risk of crashed crashes is higher when the driver or pedestrian has taken alcohol.
Wear seatbelts and put children on restraints: Seatbelts reduce fatal or serious injuries by 40% to 65% and restraints reduce infant's deaths by 71%.
Wear helmets: Head injuries are the main cause of death among motorbike drivers and bicycle accident cause major injuries among children.
Be visible. The WHO says that drivers who drive with their lights on reduce their chances of being involved in crashes by 10 to 15% and in about half of pedestrian accidents drivers says they did not see the pedestrian.
There is definitely a reason to celebrate the demolition of the casualty and OPD at this hospital today. A new OPD with spacious waiting areas and consulting rooms will replace the old cramped structure that was an insult to the dignity of our patients and staff.
This project is another example of how government wants to improve the quality of care for all our people. This is not just a once off upgrading of a single hospital but it is part of a programme aimed at systematic revitalization of our facilities.
This multi-phased project will take place over a period of about six years and will cost approximately R700 million. It will include:
* Building of two district hospital, one a Zola here in Soweto and the other at Lenasia
* Building three community health centres
* Building two clinics.
These facilities will be built on the latest trends and technology to provide state of the art yet cost effective facilities. The revitalisation programme will also ensure that communities have better access to services.
Government also realized that over and above the rehabilitation and upgrading of the facilities themselves, a fully integrated approach is needed to provide equitable and sustainable health services to everyone. To only build a new infrastructure while ignoring other factors such as health equipment, management and personnel will not meet the level of the quality of care that we want to provide to our people.
This government is serious about planning and implementing health services in such a way that every individual, whether in township or historically white suburbs, will have equitable access to the health services. It is for this reason that we have invested R698 million in equipment across the province since 1999.
The ever-increasing number patients with AIDS related illnesses, TB and other debilitating conditions is placing an enormous burden on the provision of health services and cannot be handled by hospitals alone. We need to care for different groups of patients at appropriate levels which means some will be catered for within the home based care, step down facilities and hospitals.
Our response to this challenge requires a partnership with communities, non-governmental organizations and community based organizations, aimed at providing adequate support for these patients while intensifying our campaign to prevent further spread of diseases including HIV and AIDS.
The project we are launching today must be seen as only a first step towards a cost-effective and sustainable integration of health services in our smart province.
This hospital together with all the clinics, community health centres and smaller hospitals referring to it need to be managed in such a way that all health needs are covered without any gaps or duplication of services.
As part of the revitalisation programme, the health department would ensure that all facilities will have sufficient personnel at appropriate levels and there will be adequate support to enable the delivery of all necessary health services.
A process has already started whereby each hospital management team have certain delegated powers, which enable them to have a far greater control over budgets and the running of their hospitals.
The management team must also ensure that we implement our Service Improvement Plan to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. This means that:
* Clinics are the first point of entry into the health and are not bypassed.
* The average length of stay of acute patients is monitored and recorded.
* Bed occupancy rates are around 85%.
* Voluntary Testing and Counselling and Termination of Pregnancies are being done with dignity and empathy.
* The development of home based care and the provision of sub-acute facilities such as step-downs and hospices are actively promoted.
* And referrals to higher and lower levels of care are properly recorded and followed up.
We still have a long way to go but the Department of Health is determined to reduce present inequities and to improve, together with other stakeholders, the quality of health services.
In conclusion I would like to stress the vital importance of Community participation and support. Government cannot do any of the things I have spoken about without your help. You, as a community, have a critical role to play in the planning and management of your health services.
You therefore have to participate in hospital boards and clinic committees where you can highlight your interest and needs as a community. You should hold all of us - the management and health workers - accountable to you as the public.
This is the only way you can assist government to monitor the implementation of our guiding principles of Batho Pele, the Patient's Rights Charter and the Service Pledge.
This hospital belongs to you and therefore you must look after it. Always be available to assist in ensuring that it provides an effective service to you as a community.
For more information contact
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
Issued by: Department Of Health, Gauteng Provincial Government
7 April 2004
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