According to the NW Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, Potchefstroom Hospital came out tops and scooped the Titanium Award for Quality Patient Care and Excellence in the Public Sector out of entries from all over SADC (the Southern African Developing Countries).

“The Titanium Awards seek to recognise and acknowledge excellence in the public and private health care sectors in Southern Africa.

They also recognise and honour those delivering superior service to their customers and members and identify leading performers among hospital groups, medical schemes, administrators, managed healthcare organisations, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare practitioners and the broader industry,” said Lekgethwane.

He says this was the second time that Potchefstroom Hospital has found itself in the top three for these Titanium Awards out of all the public sector hospitals in the SADC region. The hospital CEO, Ms Gloria Tlhapi, is delighted about the achievement. “This is amazing and it will go down in the history of Potchefstroom Hospital for making people’s lives a priority in all aspects, meeting their needs and serving them with dignity. At Potchefstroom Hospital, we ensure that the services we offer are relevant and are aligned with Batho Pele principles. I want to thank the members of ‘Team Potch Hospital’, they deserve this,” said Tlhapi.

The hospital was adjudicated according to a number of criteria, including patient satisfaction survey results and the scope of services offered.

The NW MEC for health, Dr Magome Masike said hard work and dedication to service delivery had paid off for Potchefstroom Hospital.

“When Witrand Hospital, also from Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, won the Titanium Award last year I said, we are a department with a good track record of excelling because we have a list of non-negotiables that guides our operations,” he said.

Masike described this as “just the beginning”, and said the Department of Health will ensure that all its facilities comply with and meet national core standards.