New Medical Equipment to Improve Access to Quality Health Care at Public Health Facilities

Well-functioning equipment is crucial to the delivery of quality health services. This December, as part of the Christmas Deliverables campaign, the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health will spend over R3 million on medical equipment in an attempt to improve access to quality health services.

The Health system is set for a big boost with the purchasing of various stateof-the-art and much needed medical equipment such as gastroscopes, x-ray rooms and colposcopes that will offer top-class medical treatment to the affected facilities where there is a desperate need for these equipment. The equipment will be allocated to a number of facilities within the province.

With an increase in patients and the demand of service delivery in the health system combined with the fact that equipment in health facilities is often old, the Department acknowledges the demand for new and improved equipment at public health facilities.

The equipment, which will be distributed across the province, includes:

• A Gastroscope (R120 000) for Hermanus
• A Colposcope for Karl Bremer Hospital (R100 000)
• An x-ray upgrade at Mitchell's Plain Community Health Centre (R170 000)
• Thembalethu and Uniondale each receives an x-ray room (R400 000 each)
• Somerset Hospital receives an x-ray room (R600 000)
• Brewelskloof Hospital receives UV lights (R450 000)
• Tygerberg Hospital receives endoscopic equipment (R924 997)
• Beaufort West Hospital will have theatre lights (R60 000) and
• The Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre will receive an urodynamic system (R100 000)

"With the purchasing of these much needed medical equipment, the Department aims to deliver quality health care services to the communities and we also aim at making the working conditions and environment of our medical staff more friendly and easy accessible," says Pierre Uys, Minister of Health for the Western Cape.

The new equipment comes just at the right time, as the Festive Season is upon us and through past experiences the health facilities are busier than usual as a result of more road accidents.

Issued by:
The Directorate Communications
Office of the Superintendent of Health, Western Cape
Department of Health

Faiza Steyn
Director: Communication
021 483 3235

Herman van der Westhuizen
Media Liaison Officer to the Minister of Health
021 483 2627