Ga-Rankuwa – Gauteng MEC for Health, Hope Papo, today visited the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in an effort to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare in the province.
Before inspecting the hospital, Papo first held a meeting with the hospital managers to discuss the challenges they faced and to find ways to improve service delivery.
He admitted he knew of some of the issues raised in the meeting and challenged the mangers to turn the situation around and come up with clear plans on how to address them.
“I’ve noted everything and I’ll do another visit in the second or third quarter to report on progress, not problems. You must have a breakthrough on equipment, 90% availability of drugs, sort out the issue of Human Resources and sort out corruption.
“We are going to change this hospital and people must work. By March next year, it must be at the level where you want it to be,” Papo told hospital managers.
He also discouraged hospital board members from taking part in hospital business deals. “Desist from doing business with the hospital, where you are members of the boards,” Papo said, stressing that health is not about creating jobs but patient care.
He further highlighted the importance of treating general workers and doctors equally, when disciplining them.
“People have to comply with regulations, we have different roles to play in the institution and all should be treated fairly. There’s no doctor who should be treated with gloves when he has committed fraud. Treat all employees fair,” he said.
While acknowledging that some challenges still needed to be addressed, Hospital CEO, Dr Thulani Madonsela said the hospital is improving.
The six priorities of the hospital include improving the patients' waiting time, ensuring safety and security of patients and staff, improving cleanliness of facilities, preventing health facility acquired infections, ensuring availability of medicines and achieving positive values and attitudes among staff and managers.
“There’s a lot of improvement in the patients' waiting area. Patients are being booked and their files are pulled out a day before the appointment. We have improved the security system and measures within the hospital by allocating security guards to patrol during the day and night and we are re-enforcing the hand washing campaign,” Madonsela highlighted.
He also noted that overtime exceeding 30 percent will no longer be approved.
The hospital has also entered into a partnership with the Nigerian Doctors Forum, which hands out food parcels to patients on ARVs. It has also formed a partnership with the Royal Bafokeng Holding which donated millions towards the building of a Burn Unit.
“Painting and flooring of Ward 39 was completed in March 2013, the replacements of three lifts is expected to be completed on 30 June 2013 and specifications have been done for renovation and face lift of accident and emergency unit,” Madonsela said, highlighting some of the improvements made by the hospital. – SAnews.gov.za
