Date: 04/02/05
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Ramokgopa: Launch of Operation Hand of Hope
Speech by Gauteng Health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa launching operation hand of hope at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital
Programme Director Mr Douglas Ramaphosa from Anglo American Chairman’s Fund Dr Jon Andrews – Impala Platinum Scaw Metals Group Gold Fields African Rainbow Minerals Dr Laetitia Rispel HOD of the Gauteng Department of Health Dr Emma Bonderenko, CHB hospital CEO The head of the Hand Surgery Unit, Dr Walter Stuart Members of the management team Hospital board members Ladies and gentlemen
It’s a great pleasure for me to be part of this joyous occasion. Two years ago, we announced our ambition to revitalize this hospital. Our aim is to upgrade buildings and improve the services that this hospital has been offering for the past 63 years.
I extend my greatest gratitude to the private sector companies for coming into partnership with us to ensure that we move towards the realization of this goal. Mr Ramaphosa, Dr Andrews and your colleagues, your involvement with this project give hope not only to the people of Soweto and Gauteng. It gives hope to the whole country and indeed the continent.
We in government have always held a view that to change the lives of our people for the better we have to work in partnership with others, such as, business, NGOs and community based organizations. The reason we are interested in public private partnerships is because they bring concrete benefits to the people in their every day lives.
When we came into office in 1994, we realized that we had inherited massive disinvestment in our public services and infrastructure. This disinvestment was clear to the staff and patients who were relying on these facilities for health care.
A lot of work has been done over the past ten years to improve public health services but a lot more still needs to be done for us to adequately respond to the challenges of the 21 century.
Since 1999 we have spent R1.2 billion upgrading and building new facilities in the province. In the same period we used R698 million to buy new equipment for the facilities. We have done this because we know that where facilities are poor, services is also poor.
Through public private partnership we have managed to establish burns unit and the cardiology units in this hospital. We have also been able to build some clinics and wards.
In spite of all this, we still have enormous work to do to improve all our facilities. If we try to do that work on our own as a department, it will take an inordinate amount of time. But if we forge partnership as has been done here, we may be able to finish all the work within a reason space of time.
One of the major challenges that we have to respond to is the training of highly competent medical personnel. This hospital trains more than half of medical students registered at the Faculty of Health Science of the University of Witwatersrand. All the university’s orthopaedic students receive their training in hand surgery at this hospital.
Programme director, today we are witnessing an investment in achievement and excellence. This hospital has a recognized track record in providing good quality treatment of hand injuries in adults and children. It is this unit that created the concept of repairing the branchial plexus in 1975. It is here that the first hand replantation was achieved in 1976 and it is here that the toe to thumb transplantation was first achieved in 1978.
This hospital and its staff have also distinguished themselves in other areas. It is in this hospital for instance that conjoined twins Mpho and Mphonyana were successfully separated. The burns and cardiology units are also recognized as centres of excellence providing first class care to our people.
In 2003 we opened the Dumisani Mzamane African Diseases of the Kidney Unit as part of our programme to revitalize services at this hospital. The construction of the new procurement stores is nearing completion. The overarching objective of this programme is to position the entire hospital as a centre of excellence in the health services it provides and in its academic work.
The programme involves the building of a new casualty and open patients department. This is the busiest section of the hospital and it admits 150 000 patients annually. To alleviate pressure from the hospital we intend to upgrade Lilian Ngoyi, Lenasia and Zola community health centres into level one hospitals.
We have no doubt that once the revitalization programme is completed, Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital will be confirmed as an academic hospital of exceptional quality and access to health services will be greatly improved.
I would like to thank Dr Stuart for realizing this and for driving this initiative bringing it to where it is today. It is my sincere hope that the partnership we have forged to build this unit can be extended to other areas as well.
I thank you.
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Ramokgopa: Launch of Operation Hand of Hope
Speech by Gauteng Health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa launching operation hand of hope at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital
Programme Director Mr Douglas Ramaphosa from Anglo American Chairman’s Fund Dr Jon Andrews – Impala Platinum Scaw Metals Group Gold Fields African Rainbow Minerals Dr Laetitia Rispel HOD of the Gauteng Department of Health Dr Emma Bonderenko, CHB hospital CEO The head of the Hand Surgery Unit, Dr Walter Stuart Members of the management team Hospital board members Ladies and gentlemen
It’s a great pleasure for me to be part of this joyous occasion. Two years ago, we announced our ambition to revitalize this hospital. Our aim is to upgrade buildings and improve the services that this hospital has been offering for the past 63 years.
I extend my greatest gratitude to the private sector companies for coming into partnership with us to ensure that we move towards the realization of this goal. Mr Ramaphosa, Dr Andrews and your colleagues, your involvement with this project give hope not only to the people of Soweto and Gauteng. It gives hope to the whole country and indeed the continent.
We in government have always held a view that to change the lives of our people for the better we have to work in partnership with others, such as, business, NGOs and community based organizations. The reason we are interested in public private partnerships is because they bring concrete benefits to the people in their every day lives.
When we came into office in 1994, we realized that we had inherited massive disinvestment in our public services and infrastructure. This disinvestment was clear to the staff and patients who were relying on these facilities for health care.
A lot of work has been done over the past ten years to improve public health services but a lot more still needs to be done for us to adequately respond to the challenges of the 21 century.
Since 1999 we have spent R1.2 billion upgrading and building new facilities in the province. In the same period we used R698 million to buy new equipment for the facilities. We have done this because we know that where facilities are poor, services is also poor.
Through public private partnership we have managed to establish burns unit and the cardiology units in this hospital. We have also been able to build some clinics and wards.
In spite of all this, we still have enormous work to do to improve all our facilities. If we try to do that work on our own as a department, it will take an inordinate amount of time. But if we forge partnership as has been done here, we may be able to finish all the work within a reason space of time.
One of the major challenges that we have to respond to is the training of highly competent medical personnel. This hospital trains more than half of medical students registered at the Faculty of Health Science of the University of Witwatersrand. All the university’s orthopaedic students receive their training in hand surgery at this hospital.
Programme director, today we are witnessing an investment in achievement and excellence. This hospital has a recognized track record in providing good quality treatment of hand injuries in adults and children. It is this unit that created the concept of repairing the branchial plexus in 1975. It is here that the first hand replantation was achieved in 1976 and it is here that the toe to thumb transplantation was first achieved in 1978.
This hospital and its staff have also distinguished themselves in other areas. It is in this hospital for instance that conjoined twins Mpho and Mphonyana were successfully separated. The burns and cardiology units are also recognized as centres of excellence providing first class care to our people.
In 2003 we opened the Dumisani Mzamane African Diseases of the Kidney Unit as part of our programme to revitalize services at this hospital. The construction of the new procurement stores is nearing completion. The overarching objective of this programme is to position the entire hospital as a centre of excellence in the health services it provides and in its academic work.
The programme involves the building of a new casualty and open patients department. This is the busiest section of the hospital and it admits 150 000 patients annually. To alleviate pressure from the hospital we intend to upgrade Lilian Ngoyi, Lenasia and Zola community health centres into level one hospitals.
We have no doubt that once the revitalization programme is completed, Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital will be confirmed as an academic hospital of exceptional quality and access to health services will be greatly improved.
I would like to thank Dr Stuart for realizing this and for driving this initiative bringing it to where it is today. It is my sincere hope that the partnership we have forged to build this unit can be extended to other areas as well.
I thank you.
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