Tygerberg Hospital hero amongst us – Berenice Adams

This week’s nominated coronavirus hero amongst us at Tygerberg Hospital, Berenice Adams, provides an essential service to the public during these challenging times. The hero amongst us campaign seeks to highlight an official’s achievements, abilities or personal qualities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the eyes of hospital staff, he or she can also be regarded as a role model or ideal.

As a Food Service Assistant working for 19 years in the provisioning store at the Food Services Department her duties include the following: assembling ingredients for recipes; receiving stock; issuing stock; completing bin cards; keeping her area clean; and assist cooks when needed. She also ensures that the cooks receive the correct ingredients according to the prescribed menu and meal plan. “COVID-19 affected me in a way where I had to move from my section to perform the duty of the cook (I have previous experience) during a time when we had skeleton staff. I had to follow the recipes and ensured that the correct meal items were prepared according to the recipe and according to the patient daily requirements. I also had to assist with the dishing up of the meals. I had to adapt under these difficult circumstances where I become more aware of my surroundings, to keep my area hygienic clean, to practice social distancing,” says Adams, who lives in Ravensmead.

What motivates her to come to work every day is, “The patients, the passion for my job and being in a position where I can contribute towards the recovery process of the patient.”

She is also appreciative of the support of hospital management during this time. “The hospital management definitely put measures in place, where we received PPE [personal protective equipment] daily, training was arranged and information sessions held, posters were put in the department to reiterate the importance of practicing good hygiene and social distancing,” adds Adams

Adams concluded, “Remember to wash your hands regularly, wear your PPE, practice social distancing. Please be responsible and mindful of others and to work as a team and not to compromise anybody’s safety.”