Minister of Health launches a joint task team to improve Atlantis healthcare | Western Cape Government

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Minister of Health launches a joint task team to improve Atlantis healthcare

1 September 2022

Minister of Health and Wellness has launched a joint task team to improve Atlantis healthcare services, following a memorandum delivered to her on 16 August 2022 by the Atlantis Community Health Organisation (ACHO). 

This memorandum highlighted various pressures, currently present on current health platform. Also embedded in this memorandum are proposed solutions, to elevate pressures on the current health system. 

Minister Mbombo on 29 August 2022, established the Task Team to journey with providers of healthcare, in executing an improvement plan. Minister Mbombo continued: “there exist a need to give feedback on improvement of services in Atlantis. The Task Team shall consist of not more than 10 (ten) people, represented by (1) ACHO (2) City of Cape Town and (3) the Department of Health and Wellness.” 

Minister stated that this Task Team will be tasked “not only, executing the improvement of services to the community but also for ACHO, to filter information to the Atlantis community, as means of sharing information to them, based on collaborations and decisions made by Task Team”.

Minister continued by dissolving the current Wesfleur Hospital Facility Board, a statutory body, appointed by her, to represent the voices of the Atlantis community and requested the commencement of the nomination process, for the establishment of a new hospital board pending further collaborations between all stakeholders. 
 

ACHO have requested the improvement of quality care, replacement of Wesfleur Hospital, the improvement of emergency services, provincialisation of City Clinics and upgrade of comprehensive packages of care at Primary Health Care Leve. 
 

The Department of Health and Wellness identified short term plans, in improvement of patient experience, and recognised the following as priority areas:

  1. Community Health Workers conduct home-based care for bedridden clients to ensure they can be served at their homes and don’t have to travel to the Emergency Centre at Wesfleur Hospital (WFH)
  2. Outreaches and CDU clubs to be hosted in the community so that people do not need to go to WFH for medication collection and screening
  3. Home delivery of chronic medications
  4. Reorganisation of services to allow an additional doctor on duty until 16h00 over weekends and public holidays.


The City of Cape Town also offered additional space from where health care services can be rendered allowing access to clients close to their homes, which will reduce waiting time and congestion at Wesfleur Hospital. 
 

Longer term plans include:

Re-organisation of existing infrastructure and more appropriate siting of containers on premises to improve patient flow

The Rebuild of WFH as a 150-bed hospital. Strategic brief currently being drafted with Infrastructure planning and dependent on a suitable site being available. More information to be shared as it becomes available.