Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo pledges support for Leratong Hospital on the West Rand

2 Jul 2013

Leratong Hospital has prioritised the renovation of wards to respond to the increasing load of patients requiring health care from the hospital.

The labour ward, medical wards, gynaecological and surgical wards will be upgraded in the 2013/14 financial year. Last year, the hospital's casualty and reception areas were refurbished at a cost of R6 million. The neonatal unit was also improved and equipped with state of the art equipment.

This was revealed during a visit to the hospital by Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo today. The MEC inspected services offered by the hospital and visit Odireleng Maponya and Fanyana Nhlapo clinics. He also addressed hospital and clinic managers as well as labour union representatives.

The number of patients in the hospital in the past financial year (2012/2013) reached 50 663, while the number of patients who were attended to as outpatients exceeded 261 000. Leratong is the only regional hospital in the West Rand and serves as a referral point for 79 facilities that include two district hospitals, two maternal and obstetrics units, 61 clinics, 10 mobile clinics, a psychiatric hospital.

MEC Papo said the hospital will receive greater support to be able to provide better services to the 1, 5 million people living on the West Rand. He also called for efforts to be put an in place to improve the availability of drugs.

"Hospitals must indicate the percentage of direct delivery of medicine they can handle to reduce reliance of the medical supply depot and improve the availability of drugs," he said.

He added that the budget of the hospital will be improved to assist with responding to backlogs that currently exist.

Statement issued by Simon Zwane, Gauteng Health, July 2 2013

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