Groote Schuur Trauma Centre Will Not Close - Incorrect Reporting

The Western Cape Provincial Department of Health would like to take this opportunity to put the statement made on the front page of today's Cape Times (14 July 2009) into perspective and to assure our communities that the Trauma Centre at Groote Schuur Hospital will NOT be closed.

The fact is that the Department is currently assessing ways in which to make its business more efficient. Thus exploring ways on how the interface between Emergency Medical Services (EMS) which transports patients with emergencies to the hospital and the receiving hospitals could be made more effective.

It's for this reason that the Department has embarked on an exercise to training medical specialists in Emergency Medicine and is exploring models of managing emergency centers which would include admissions, stabilisation and onward referral of patients with acute emergencies.

Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, called on editors and journalists to take greater care when researching, writing and editing articles. "The fact is that this DA-government is turning service delivery around, and putting modernisation processes in place to ensure improved access to facilities for the people of this province. We are continuously put under pressure to manage situations because of incorrect reporting. It is in the interest of all media stakeholders to take responsibility and put the facts in the correct perspective."

ENDS

Jointly issued by the Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, and the Directorate: Communications for the Western Cape Department of Health