Today (Friday, 14 November 2014) Western Cape Minister of Health, Mr Theuns Botha unveiled a plaque to officially open Hermanus Hospital. The hospital has undergone R 70 million revitalization project which has transformed it from a fourty-seven bed to a seventy-one bed facility. The hospital is a Level One District Hospital and offers out-patient and in-patient services to a diverse population of approximately 85 000 people living in the Overstrand District.
In his address Minister Botha said the reconstruction has transformed the hospital into a new world-class public health facility.
"Our facilities now serve visitors from all over Africa. Considering that our department's staff has the most direct contact with the public, our challenge remains to improve the patient's experience of our services. Equipment can be bought, but our staff's positive interaction with staff cannot be bought. That is why we have to invest in our facilities, to ensure an environment in which staff and patients feel comfortable.
Minister Botha congratulated the staff on the acquiring of the Baby Friendly Accreditation, which is an international accreditation and an important indicator of evaluation of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Our next challenge is to focus on the health of women and children to improve the health of every new-born in the first 1000 days of his or her life. Towards this goal our provincial government has declared war on alcohol abuse, and will announce steps to curb the misuse of alcohol in the near future.
Globally health care costs are spiralling out of control, and that is why our government has prioritized Wellness, which is focused on creating a healthier society by identifying and treating illness as early as possible and also reducing the prevalence of preventable illnesses in the province.
In closing Minister Botha congratulated the hospital managers on running the facility on par with private hospital standards. The increased beds are especially important since the hospital previously had a bed-occupancy rate consistently above 85%. The high occupancy rate meant that staff had less time to spend on each patient. The improved infrastructure now makes it possible for staff to deliver person-centred quality care.
A Pharmacy; Administration Block; Emergency Centre; Maternity Ward; Paediatric Ward and Out-Patient Department are some of the new sections which formed part of the revitalization. The hospital also has a dedicated radiology service as well as ad hoc physiotherapy and occupational therapy services.
In her opening speech Ms Kamfer, Director of the Overberg District, stated that, “The motivation and dedication of the Hermanus Hospital staff needs to be applauded. They are working hard to ensure that they deliver person-centred quality care and the new infrastructure will help them in achieving this goal. ”
The unveiling of the plaque at Hermanus Hospital commemorates all the hard work that has been done to ensure that we improve the quality of health services and the patient experience.
Natasha Peterson
Communications Officer
Western Cape Government Health: Overberg
Tel: 028 214 5800
Email: Natasha.Peterson@westerncape.gov.za