Frere Hospital in East London was engulfed by incomparable euphoria on the 2nd of December when the Road Accident Fund (RAF) extended a helping and philanthropic gesture of donating twenty five beds to the newly renovated and refurbished C1 ward which is located on the basement section of the hospital. The ward was formerly operated as a psychiatric ward and had been unoccupied since the psychiatric patients who were occupants of the ward were relocated to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane.
The Road Accident Fund – which provides compulsory cover against injuries and death for all persons who utilise the South African roads irrespective of their nationalities – explored the reasons which informed the organisation’s laudable and much-needed humanitarian exploits towards Frere Hospital and highlighted the congruity between their ethos and the developmental frameworks put in place by government. “Our approach is developmental in nature and aligned to the South African government’s socio-economic and developmental priorities,” read a background statement released by the Fund.
The Honourable MEC for Health in the Eastern Cape Ms Sindiswa Gomba officially opened the ward and emphasised the importance of providing quality healthcare to the citizenry of the province and urged health public service employees to be diligent in executing their occupational duties. “I’m delighted we managed to open this ward and it will be resourceful to have it operational during the busy festive season period as we are likely to admit more patients. I’d like to urge all our staff to prioritise the health of our patients and to treat them with empathy,” said Gomba.
Nursing Manager at Frere Hospital Mrs Veliswa Lujiza asserted the usefulness of the C1 ward and the benefits of it in alleviating the workload for healthcare professionals and improving the quality of healthcare services rendered to patients. “It’s very important to have this ward open because it will reduce the workload of nurses and acutely sick patients will get detailed attention. This ward will serve as an overflow ward to counter the influx of patients,” remarked Lujiza.
The C1 ward which will be used as an aid to reduce the scores of patients who occupy the Casualty/ Trauma Unit will have one Operational Manager, nine Professional Nurses, nine Staff Nurses, eight Nursing Assistants, one Ward Clerk, four Cleaners, and two Porters.
Prior to the opening of the C1 ward the MEC handed over new ten recliner chairs to the M1 nursery which is a ward designated for kangaroo mothers. The comfortable nature of the recliner chairs is pivotal for physical relaxation and helps the mothers to produce more milk for their babies. Milk production is salient in ensuring the healthy growth of babies.
Nkosekaya Hlitane
