Addington shows signs of improvement

A KWAZULU-NATAL parliamentary oversight visit to Durban’s Addington Hospital has revealed that despite ongoing challenges, management are working hard to ensure the proper functioning of both facilities.

The visit was conducted last week by the province’s health portfolio committee. According to hospital reports, Addington and RK Khan see approximately 150,000 patients each over a three month period. Despite this, the construction of two new 300-bed hospitals in Durban remains on hold due to a departmental budget crisis.

At Addington, the committee found a cleaner hospital, a fully functional oncology department, improved staff morale, order despite ongoing construction, a transport system for patients to be taken to other hospitals while certain services are disrupted during the construction period and improved pharmacy services with a priority window and a controlled queuing system.

While a staff vacancy of 117 remains a concern, a new CEO and matron seem to have made a big difference. The number of health-related complaints regarding this hospital has also dropped over the past three months.

While there is a noticeable improvement at Addington Hospital, it is clear that certain areas are under massive strain due to patient numbers and that two new hospitals would make a vast difference.

It is almost ten years since these facilities were first mooted and calls are being made upon MEC to ensure that they are fast-tracked.