WITH a full complement of board members, increased staffing and a sound financial platform on which to build, the Zululand Hospice Association is looking forward to meeting the growing demand for palliative care in the year ahead.
No fewer than five new board members volunteered their services on Tuesday evening when the Hospice AGM was held at the Empangeni library hall.
In his annual report, outgoing chairman Thami Ndlela said the past year had been ‘a demanding one for me and the board members, with a greater workload than normal’.
‘But without doubt Hospice is one of the leading organisations in the district, providing palliative care for seriously ill patients, children and families who rely on us.
‘These people are the very essence of our existence.
‘With a shortage of volunteers and staff, a lot of time has been invested in recruiting, orienting and supporting new staff who have taken on new roles across all areas.
‘This has been both challenging and exciting as we build backup to full strength.
‘We finally have full staff as per our strategic plan, with the exception of the General Manager of which the recruitment process is under way and the position will be filled very soon.’
ZHA bucks the trend
While other KZN hospices have battled in the past year, reducing working hours, closing units, retrenching staff and selling assets, Zululand Hospice Association (ZHA) has fulfilled its mission of providing palliative care, albeit with a struggle.
Reporting at the AGM on Tuesday, Palliative Care co-ordinator Jane Ashburner said, ‘During the year we cared for a total of 456 patients (264 female, 192 male), as well as an average of four household members for each patient.
‘We had 53 children under 12, and still show the highest number of patients (169) in the 18-35 age group.’
With cancer, HIV and TB as the focus, ZHA made 8 475 visits, delivering over 40 000 interventions.
‘Our visits have been made to patients in houses, huts or shacks; many of our patients are poor and some live in conditions that are really unsuitable for human habitation.
‘The roads we travelled on tested the cars, and the drivers, to their limits,’ said Ashburner.
Training priority
Acting General Manager, Pinkie Mdlalose, was pleased to report that five new care workers, one nursing sister and two enrolled nurses were employed during the year, as well as three administration staff, including a fund-raiser.
In terms of capacity building, she said training would be a priority.
Treasurer, Dean Godwin said although income had improved, expenses had also increased, but cost cutting had enabled the accumulated surplus to grow.
‘I am glad to report that we received funding for two new vehicles, a welcome addition as they will not require as much maintenance as our other, ageing, vehicles.’
