As the Eastern Cape Department of Health forges ahead with the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI), specialist services are set to be offered at St Elizabeth Hospital, in Lusikisiki.
This follows the inauguration of the WSU-ECDoH Academic Governance Committee (AGC) by health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth on Wednesday.
In July, the provincial Health Department and WSU signed a revised memorandum of agreement that ensured that the institution of higher education played an integral role in training healthcare workers in the province with the department providing the platform.
This agreement will also ensure that St Elizabeth would provide regional services to its patrons.
Meth said the recent signing of the 10-year memorandum of agreement signaled the beginning of great initiatives on programs for academic development towards strengthening health services delivery in our province.
“This entails core specialist services such as obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, anaesthesiology, general surgery, orthopedics and family medicine – and others as tabulated on the service board located at the hospital’s entrance,” said Meth.
According to Meth, the strategic relationship between health science training as a catalyst for the growth of new health services, as indicated through the trajectory of growth of post-graduate specialist training in the province that grew from zero in 2000 to more than three hundred (300) specialists to date.
“These are specialists of different disciplines produced through this model, as we today boast about specialist and super-specialist services borne out of the vision of sending some to acquire skills and return home to introduce and render such services locally, e.g., oncology, plastic surgery, neonatology etc.
We commend initiatives by various members of the WSU and ECDoH teams to go on an aggressive hunt for specialists to come and work in this hospital. We hope and pray that they stay.
“We are a deeply rural province so attracting and retaining skilled specialists is one of our challenges. In some cases, the lack of decent staff accommodation is one of the reasons that healthcare professionals do not want to go and work in rural areas. However, we have embarked on a massive drive to build state-of-the-art staff accommodation, particularly on this side of the Kei River.”
WSU deputy vice-chancellor, Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele said they were committed to develop the province.
It is a long overdue partnership, and I am happy with AGC members can come here and take an oath. They are highly qualified and specialized, and they are committing to serve and we expect to get a lot from them. – said Davhana-Maselesele.
She said WSU was in a trajectory of improving on its faculties, and the faculty of health sciences, going forward it would be known as the faculty of medicine and health sciences.
“It will be big enough and we will ensure that we are able to take of the province as we have been doing.
“We have twelve faculties and we are now merging them to make seven faculties and that reduction of faculties means expansion because we are consolidating all experts in one space. So we are re-imaging WSU to be better.”
Davhana-Maselesele revealed that the institution was also planning to add agriculture as a specialization in the natural sciences faculty.
“We are coming with agricultural technology starting with a diploma and degree programme and we are developing and ensuring that WSU responds to the needs of this province and the country.”
Walter Sisulu University’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) dean, Professor Thozama Dubula said the committee would ensure the implementation of the agreement between both institutions.
This agreement will ensure that specialist services and other health related services are provided throughout the Eastern Cape Province, in both rural and urban centres, as well as districts and regional services,” said Dubula.
He said St Elizabeth would be the prototype of what they would want to provide in the long run.
The glittering ceremony also saw a stakeholder engagement session where the relevant stakeholders voiced their opinions and grievances.
