New Facility Board Members of GF Jooste and Mitchells Plain Hospitals Announced

Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, announced the new facility boards for GF Jooste and Mitchells Plain Hospitals. The announcement on 29 October 2013 is on the eve of the official celebratory opening of Mitchells Plain Hospital on 12 November by the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille.

Minister Theuns Botha said: “Health facility boards play a very important role to motivate staff and improve the working conditions at our health facilities. I am grateful to the outgoing board of GF Jooste Hospital, under the chairmanship of Mercia Isaacs, for the work they have done these past years under trying circumstances.”

Facility board members don’t receive any remuneration for their services, but may be reimbursed to cover travel expenses. Other requirements for community representatives are that they must provide proof of their community work and declare their willingness to serve as a member of the board.

The GF Jooste Hospital facility board appointments commenced on 1 August 2013 and will end on 31 July 2016. The community representatives are Nonkosi Sontshatsha, Mercia Isaacs, Caroline Davids, Noorunisa Mia, Dawood Khan, Dr Mark Sonderup and Mariam Kinnus. Julie Moses will represent GF Jooste Hospital’s clinical staff. Maureen Smith and Siyambonga Limani will represent the hospital administration.

In terms of the Act Hans Human, CEO of both hospitals, is an automatic board member.

The newly appointed members of the Mitchells Plain hospital facility board have 10 community representatives: Roselyn Swarts, Ishaam Scott, Nozibele Mdayi, Theo Roman, Virginia Voegt, Ebrahim Gabriels, Wesley Petersen, Mercia Isaacs, Ace Qubelo and Monwabisi Mbaliswana. Rochelle Philander is appointed for her medical expertise. Jacek Marszalek and Aletta Brown are appointed to represent the hospital’s clinical staff. Their appointments will commence on Friday, 1 November 2013, for a three year term of office.

De-commissioning of GF Jooste Hospital
In the past months GF Jooste Hospital was closed in phases. The only units still in operation at GF Jooste Hospital are the emergency centre, the Thutuzela rape assist centre and two medical overnight wards. These will transfer to the emergency centre currently under construction on the precinct of the Heideveld Community Development Centre to ensure access for residents of the Klipfontein corridor to emergency services while the new GF Jooste Hospital is constructed. If construction and fitting goes according to plan, the Heideveld emergency centre will be complete by April 2014.

GF Jooste Hospital will finally close for the reconstruction period after this has occurred. GF Jooste Hospital’s outpatients need to visit Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Mowbray Maternity Hospital, Groote Schuur Hospital, Hanover Park Community Health Centre (CHC) and Gugulethu CHC.

The draft Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report and recommendations with regard to the future of the infrastructure of the present GF Jooste Hospital has been completed and will be finalised by the end of this month after consultation with the Department of Transport and Public Works. The on-site work for the new GF Jooste Hospital will in all likelihood begin during 2015 for completion by 2018.

Commissioning of Mitchells Plain Hospital
The commissioning of Mitchells Plain Hospital is entering a new phase, with the new hospital opening for its first outpatients and the Kangaroo Mother Care and post-natal services opening on Friday, 1 November 2013.

Minister Botha said: “I am pleased with the commissioning of the Mitchells Plain Hospital to date. The staff are working long hours to ensure that the operational management runs smoothly.”

The first facility board of the new Mitchells Plain Hospital. From left: Theo Roman, Roselyn Swarts, Jacek Marszalek, Minister Botha, Hans Human, Nozibele Mdayi, Ebrahim Gabriels and Mercia Isaacs. The chairperson will be elected on Monday.