North West Department of Health

RURAL HEALTH BOOSTED AS NALEDI SUBDISTRICT RECEIVES HIGH TECH ICU BUS

The North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha has welcomed the acquisition of a state of the art Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Bus by the Naledi Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The vehicle has been installed with high technology medical equipment which will allow for lives to be saved en-route to medical facilities in the district.

One of the key features of the bus is its spaciousness and capacity to accommodate a sufficient number of EMS personnel to attend to critical patients as well as extra on-board equipment which could previously not be transported due to vehicle space constraints.

“Whenever an emergency strikes and the hospital is too far, ambulances save lives on the go. This ICU Bus gives us an assurance that we will be able to timeously preserve lives of our people by having critical medical equipment at hand,” MEC Sambatha said.

MEC Sambatha went on to indicate that, previously, the Department’s response vehicles could not fit most medical equipment and had to keep some of the apparatus in the office because of insufficient space. Now this challenge has been addressed by the newly acquired ICU Bus.

The ICU Bus has been fitted with the following medical equipment

• AN INCUBATOR • A 12 LEAD ICG • A NEONATAL INCUBATOR • TWO SYRINGE DRIVES • TWO INFUSION PUMPS • A HAMILTON H1 VENTILATOR • A SUCTION UNIT (ELECTRONIC) • A MANUAL SUCTION UNIT • A CPAP –UCL DEVICE &

CONNECTIONS • TWO LARGE OXYGEN

CYLINDERS • ONE PORTABLE CYLINDER • CONSUMABLES

North West Health MEC: Madoda Sambatha

FOR ENQUIRIES Tebogo Lekgethwane Departmental Spokesperson Department of Health 067 422 7763 tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za

MEC MADODA SAMBATHA LAUDS THE REFURBISHMENTS AT THE TSHEPONG HOSPITAL CARDIAC/NEUROSURGERY THEATRE

North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, conveyed words of appreciation to the medical team at Tshepong Hospital following the first neurosurgery which was conducted on a patient this week at the newly revitalised cardiac theatre at Klerksdorp in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District.

“It is quite encouraging to see the commitment to the mandate of delivering quality health care services to the people of the North West Province bearing fruit in this manner. The newly revitalized cardiac theatre will operate momentarily as a shared cardiac/neurosurgery theatre here in Tshepong Hospital” said MEC Madoda Sambatha.

The re-opening of the theatre will serve to relieve the Department of the pressure of sending patients to neighbouring provinces for cardiac and neurosurgery operations and other related medical procedures.

This theatre revitalization at Tshepong Hospital is part of a one hundred and fifteen million, six hundred and thirty one thousand, five hundred and fifty four rands and seventy cents (R115 631 554.70) project undertaken since 2020, and is envisaged to be concluded later this year by the Department.

"The project included amongst others, the refurbishment of all theatres, the creation of two (2) Lamina flows, an X-ray unit for Orthopaedic OPD and the Intensive Care Unit at ward 8, as well as the conversion and refurbishment of ward 1 and 2 into orthopaedic wards," added MEC Sambatha.

The Department has committed six hundred and fifty four million, four hundred and ninety one thousand rands (R654 491 000.00) this financial year to the maintenance of health facilities with the aim to improve access to quality services. >

ANOTHER MILESTONE AS NORTH WEST HEALTH CONDUCTS A SUCCESSFUL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE PROCEDURE ON TWO CHILDREN

The North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha has congratulated Tshepong Hospital in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality for successfully conducting two surgical procedures of cleft lip repairs which resulted in the restoration of smiles on the faces of two young girls born with cleft lips and palates.

The children who are residents of the North West Province had been awaiting surgery at referral centres based in the Gauteng Province. However, delays were experienced due to the outbreak of COVID-19 which resulted in cancellation of the elective surgical procedures.

Highlighting the departmental intervention in addressing similar cases in the province, MEC Sambatha said a plastic and reconstructive surgeon was recently appointed at Tshepong Hospital to conduct cleft lip and palate reconstructive procedures and alleviate dependency on referrals to health centres in neighbouring provinces. “Through a departmental intervention and appointment of a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Shashikant Agarwal, the surgical procedures which were the first of their kind at the facility were conducted successfully,” MEC Sambatha said.

MEC Sambatha thanked the supporting surgical team at Tshepong Hospital which comprised of Dr Olga Rademan, Dr Erin Du Plooy and Dr Nicole Broich, the anaesthesia team managed by Dr Burcan, and the nursing team led by Sister Mosia and Sister Makhuta who ensured excellent pre-operative and intraoperative care for both patients.

“The success of these first two cases has led to a few more referrals to the hospital’s unit of plastic surgery and in due course, we will be able to offer timely surgery to all children with cleft lip and palate within the North West Province at Tshepong Hospital,” MEC Sambatha highlighted.

"We will be able to offer timely surgery to all children with cleft lip and palate within the North West Province at Tshepong hospital,” MEC Sambatha highlighted.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both. They result when facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby do not close completely. They most commonly occur as isolated birth defects but are also associated with many inherited genetic conditions or syndromes.