WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The Western Cape Department of Health will today, 9 November 2018, present its 2017/18 Annual Report to the Standing Committee, and again highligs how a department, faced with multiple challenges and pressure, continues to look for innovative ways of ensuring the best health outcomes for the people of the Western Cape.
With a total budget of R22billion the Department serviced more than 6,5 million people of the province of which 75.3% are uninsured. The population has been growing 2% per annum for the past 11 years, far exceeding budget increases over the same period.
People living in the Western Cape have the highest life expectancy of 66.2 years in comparison with other provinces over the years due to better population health outcomes (lower mortality rates).
During the 2017/18 financial year, the Department continued its unparalleled 14 years track record of unqualified audits, and 3 years of clean finance audits. This makes the Department a leading Health Department in good governance practices.?
In the 2017/18 reporting period, the Department delivered the following:
- 14,1 million primary care contacts
- 92 819 baby deliveries
- 85 822 (81.2%) children under 1 year, fully immunised
- 492 303 patients transported by ambulance services, of which 29.5% were priority 1
- 285 936 patients admitted to acute district hospitals
- 7 443 cataract operations performed
- 256 821 patients on ART;
- 57 per 100 000 live births maternal mortality ratio, which is the lowest in the country
- 9.3 per 1 000 live births in facility neonatal mortality rate, the lowest in the country
- 80.2% TB treatment success rate
- 0.2& mother to child HIV transmission rate at 10 weeks.
Infrastructure plays an integral part in the delivery of health services, both from a staff as well as a patient perspective. Various capital infrastructure projects were undertaken in 2017/18, with health technology provided for a large portion of these.
Extensive maintenance was also carried out on facilities and equipment throughout the province.
The following are some of the most significant capital projects completed in 2017/18:
- new District Six CDC in Cape Town
- new Hillside Clinic in Beaufort West
- replacement of Napier Clinic
- replacement of Prince Alfred Hamlet Clinic
- new Bulk Store at Karl Bremer Hospital
- new Emergency Centre at Stellenbosch Hospital
- CT Scan and Ward Completion project at Khayelitsha Hospital
- upgrading of the Emergency Centre at Tygerberg Hospital
Delivering quality patient-centred care to such a large portion of the population in the province is a tough task in the face of growing services pressures driven by rising demand from a growing population and a growing complexity of illness.
During 2017/18 the Department’s fight against the quadruple burden of disease and poor lifestyle choices was further compounded by four major natural disasters:
- The fire at Swartland Hospital destroyed the hospital main building
- The severe drought in the province
- The devastating fire in the Knysna area
- The severe storm throughout the Western Cape
“My Department has performed exceptionally well despite the fiscal constraints. The delivery of several new and upgraded health facilities was a major highlight. This will go a long way to assist with the growing number of patients relying on the public health system and the quadruple burden of disease. These achievements would not have been possible without the dedicated health professionals who work tirelessly to deliver this essential service to the people of the Western Cape.” Said Minister Nomafrench Mbombo
To ensure uninterrupted service delivery, the Department responded with urgency to these disasters. Interventions varied from emergency maintenance undertaken at facilities affected by the fire and repairs and maintenance to storm-damaged facilities, to priority projects to improve water security1 at health facilities.
Dr Engelbrecht, HOD, acknowledged the excellent work by committed staff, the teamwork and leadership shown in everyday pressures, and during the disasters.
The Western Cape community should celebrate with us the achievement of an unqualified audit for the 14th year, despite changes in the audit parameters and the increased complexity of the supply chain environment. She recognized the continued service pressures without the necessary resources, often resulting in less than adequate patient experiences.
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