Ramaphosa hails Steve Biko facility as the best in the world
President Cyril Ramaphosa was beyond impressed during his visit on June 24 to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital's Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI) centre.
The R500-million facility was opened in March last year after it took two years to be completed.
The centre is part of the Department of Science and Technology's SA research infrastructure roadmap.
Rampahosa was accompanied by Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Deputy Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
The high-level delegation toured key facilities, including the recently refurbished cardio-thoracic ward, the advanced catheterisation laboratory alongside the centre.
The visit also included engagements with healthcare professionals and a showcase of ongoing infrastructure upgrades and digital health initiatives.
NuMeRI's main purpose is to facilitate research, innovation and value-generation in areas of country and region-specific health challenges.
Some of the functions the centre will offer include a clinical unit, radiopharmacy, basic and translational research, preclinical imaging, node of infection imaging, as well as a medical physics and radiobiology unit.
Ramaphosa said the Steve Biko facility was the best he had come across throughout his years in public service.
'The diversity I've seen here has been most impressive. One doesn't go to many places, particularly in the private sector and see this type of diversity. You don't often get it, and now I see it here in the public sector. Another factor that impressed me was the number of women in key positions as well,' he said.
The president also acknowledged the youth running facilities, saying they are the future of the country, and the centre will help propel them forward.
Ramaphosa hailed the facility for being the only centre in the continent with nuclear medical capabilities.
He also hailed the security of the facility and the diversity in geography regarding personnel, as well as the cleanliness of the facility.
'I think you have more hospitals than any other province, and you do have good hospitals in Gauteng, and I applaud you, Premier [Panyaza Lesufi] and MEC [Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko], for allocating money to get all these technological applications. I thank you for being foresightful and being addicted to technology, because it drives medical care in this day and age,' he said.
Ramaphosa added that the fact that Steve Biko receives so many referrals is why the facility stands as a model for what healthcare should look like going forward with National Health Insurance (NHI).
'I leave this place very impressed. I just saw world-class types of facilities that have been built. Even when one goes around the world, I haven't seen such, and I'm usually impressed by technology most of the time. So when we say we have the best on the continent and possibly in the world, that is what we've seen here,' Ramaphosa said.
Lesufi expressed his appreciation for the level of technology the hospital boasts, saying it will turn the healthcare of the province and country around for the better.
'Mr President, we didn't talk about the future, we walked with you to the future. We showed you the best medical equipment that no private hospital has in our province. It's a proud moment indeed. As we reshape the public health system in Gauteng, we are addicted to new technologies. We are addicted to using innovative methods to turn around the public health in Gauteng. We remain the only province with this technology. One hospital at a time, we can build stronger, better healthcare facilities,' Lesufi said.
Watch here:
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
21 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Rethinking HIV treatment with tailored solutions for improved patient engagement and outcomes
The health department has R622-million extra to prop up South Africa's HIV treatment programme in the wake of foreign aid cuts. But it's only about a fifth of the total gap. We look at how data can help drive decisions to make the most of this lifebuoy. Just over two weeks ago, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that the Treasury had given R622-million of emergency funding to his department to prop up South Africa's HIV treatment programme, with about R590-million for provinces' HIV budgets and R32-million for the chronic medicine distribution system, which allows people to fetch their antiretroviral treatment from pick-up points other than clinics, closer to their homes. This extra budget is just over a fifth of the roughly R2.8-billion funding gap that the health department says the country needed after US President Donald Trump's administration pulled the plug on financial support for HIV in February. (The Pepfar/Aids relief budget for this financial year was just under R8-billion, but the health department calculated that it could fill the void with R2.8-billion if it trimmed extras and ruled out duplicate positions.) So, how to get the best bang for these limited bucks — especially with the health department wanting to get 1.1-million people with HIV on treatment before the end of the year and so reach the United Nations targets for ending Aids as a public health threat by 2030? By getting really serious about giving people more than one way of getting their repeat prescriptions for antiretroviral (ARV) medicine (so-called differentiated service delivery), said Kate Rees, the co-chairperson of the 12th South African Aids Conference to be held later this year, from Kigali last week, where she attended the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science. At another Kigali session, Lynne Wilkinson, a public health expert working with the health department on public health approaches to help people stay on treatment, said: 'People who interrupt their antiretroviral treatment are increasingly common, but so are people who re-engage, or in other words start their treatment again after having stopped for a short period.' A big part of South Africa's problem in getting 95% of people who know they have HIV on ARVs (the second target of the UN's 95-95-95 set of cascading goals) is that people — sometimes repeatedly — stop and restart treatment. For the UN goals to be reached, South Africa needs to have 95% of people diagnosed with HIV on treatment. Right now, the health department says, we stand at 79%. But the way many health facilities are run makes the system too rigid to accommodate real life stop-and-start behaviour, says Rees. This not only means that extra time and money are spent every time someone seemingly drops out of line and then comes back in, but also makes people unwilling to get back on board because the process is so inconvenient and unwelcoming. Rees and Wilkinson were the co-authors of a study published in the Journal of the International Aids Society in 2024, whose results helped the health department update the steps health workers should follow when someone has missed an appointment for picking up their medicine or getting a health check-up — and could possibly have stopped treatment. 'We often have excellent guidelines in place, built on solid scientific evidence,' says Rees, 'but they're not necessarily implemented well on the ground.' To make sure we track the second 95 of the UN goals accurately, we need a health system that acknowledges people will come late to collect their treatment and sometimes miss appointments. This doesn't necessarily mean they've stopped their treatment; rather that how they take and collect their treatment changes over time. 'The standard ways in which the public health system works mostly doesn't provide the type of support these patients need, as the resources required to provide such support is not available,' says Yogan Pillay, the health department's former deputy director-general for HIV and now the head of HIV delivery at the Gates Foundation. 'But with AI-supported digital health solutions and the high penetration of mobile phones, such support now can — and should — be provided at low cost and without the need to hire additional human resources.' We dived into the numbers to see what the study showed — and what they can teach us about making the system for HIV treatment more flexible. Does late equal stopped? Not necessarily. Data from three health facilities in Johannesburg that the researchers tracked showed that of the 2,342 people who came back to care after missing a clinic appointment for collection medication or a health check, 72% — almost three-quarters — showed up within 28 days of the planned date. In fact, most (65%) weren't more than two weeks late. Of those who showed up at their clinic more than four weeks after they were due, 13% made it within 90 days (12 weeks). Only one in 14 people in the study came back later than this, a period by which the health department would have recorded them as having fallen out of care. (Some incomplete records meant the researchers could not work out by how much 8% of the sample had missed their appointment date.) The data for the study was collected in the second half of 2022, and at the time national guidelines said that a medicine parcel not collected within two weeks of the scheduled appointment had to be sent back to the depot. 'But it's important to distinguish between showing up late and interrupting treatment,' notes Rees. Just because someone was late for their appointment doesn't necessarily mean they stopped taking their medication. Many people in the study said they either still had pills on hand or managed to get some, despite not showing up for their scheduled collection. Pepfar definitions say that a window of up to 28 days (that is, four weeks) can be tolerated for late ARV pick-ups. Pepfar is the US HIV programme that funds projects in countries like South Africa, but most of them were cut in February. Research has also shown that for many people who have been on treatment for a long time already, viral loads (how much HIV they have in their blood) start to pass 1,000 copies/mL — the point at which someone could start being infectious again — about 28 days after treatment has truly stopped. Sending back a parcel of uncollected medicine after just two weeks — as was the case at the time of the study — would therefore add an unnecessary administration load and cost into the system. (Current health department guidelines, updated since the study and in part because of the results, say that a medicine pick-up point can hold on to someone's medicine for four weeks after their scheduled appointment.) Does late equal unwell? Not always. In fact, seven out of 10 people who collected their next batch of medication four weeks or more late had no worrying signs, such as possible symptoms of tuberculosis, high blood pressure, weight loss or a low CD4 cell count, when checked by a health worker. (A low CD4 count means that someone's immune system has become weaker, which is usually a sign of the virus replicating in their body.) Moreover, given the large number of people without worrying health signs in the group for whom data was available, it's possible that many of those in the group with incomplete data were well too. When the researchers looked at the patients' last viral load results on file (some more than 12 months ago at the time of returning to the clinic), 71% had fewer than 1,000 copies/mL in their blood. A viral count of fewer than 1,000 copies/mL tells a health worker that the medicine is keeping most of the virus from replicating. It is usually a sign of someone being diligent about taking their pills and managing their condition well. Yet clinic staff often assume that people who collect their medicine late are not good at taking their pills regularly, and so they get routed to extra counselling about staying on the programme. 'Most people don't need more adherence counselling; they need more convenience,' says Rees. Offering services that aren't necessary because of an inflexible process wastes resources, she says — something a system under pressure can ill afford. Rees says: 'With funding in crisis, we really have to prioritise [where money is spent].' Does late equal indifferent? Rarely. Close to three-quarters of people who turned up four weeks or more after their scheduled medicine collection date said they had missed their appointment because of travelling, work commitments or family obligations. Only about a quarter of the sample missed their appointment because they forgot, misplaced their clinic card or for some other reason that would suggest they weren't managing their condition well. Part of making cost-effective decisions about how to use budgets best is to offer 'differentiated care', meaning that not every patient coming back after a missed appointment is treated the same way, says Rees. Health workers should look at by how much the appointment date was missed, as well as a patient's health status to decide what service they need, she says. Giving people who've been managing their condition well enough medicine to last them six months at a time can go a long way, Wilkinson told Bhekisisa's Health Beat team in July. 'Getting 180 pills in one go reduces the number of clinic visits [only twice a year], which eases the workload on staff. But it also helps patients to stay on their treatment by cutting down on their transport costs and time off work,' Wilkinson said. Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho and Namibia have all rolled out six-month dispensing — and have already reached the UN's target of having 95% of people on medicine at a virally suppressed level. According to the health department, South Africa will start rolling out six-month dispensing in August. 'But not everyone wants this,' said Wilkinson, pointing out that experiences from other countries showed that 50 to 60% of people choose six-monthly pick-ups. It speaks to tailoring service delivery to patients' needs, says Rees, rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all system when more than one size is needed. Says Rees: 'Facing funding constraints, we really need tailored service delivery to keep the [HIV treatment] programme where it is.' DM
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
KZN Health MEC responds to damning allegations
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu-Simelane responds to several allegations levelled against her, dismissing them as a political smear campaign. Image: Supplied KWAZULU-NATAL Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has denounced what she describes as a coordinated campaign of online misinformation and character attacks targeting her and her family. The MEC confirmed that while she has taken time to respond publicly, it was because her focus remained firmly on delivering the provincial health budget - a critical task for the department and its service delivery mandate. Now that the budget has been tabled, she believed it was necessary to address the recent wave of "false claims and restore public confidence". Simelane, through a statement released by a public relations agency said, "the defamatory allegations have been based on falsified content, manipulated timelines, or entirely unfounded rumours". She noted that the timing and volume of the allegations, all surfacing simultaneously, were neither accidental nor organic, saying they appeared to form part of a deliberate political smear campaign intended to distract from the progress made within the public healthcare sector. 'The timing of all these baseless accusations surfacing together is no coincidence. They are part of calculated efforts to deliberately tarnish my reputation,' she said. 'I have been in public service since 2004, and my 21-year track record speaks for itself. I have the same right as any citizen to defend my name, to stop the spread of lies, to protect my reputation, and to safeguard the integrity of my office and the important work it represents for the people of KwaZulu-Natal, which is exactly what I'm doing.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Upholding the Constitution and healthcare rights Responding to criticism about undocumented immigrants receiving treatment in public hospitals, Simelane reaffirmed that South Africa's Constitution guarantees access to emergency healthcare for all individuals, regardless of nationality. She stated that while resource constraints continue to challenge the system, denying emergency medical care based on nationality would be unlawful and unethical. The Department of Health remains committed to delivering care fairly and consistently, within the bounds of the law. 'I agree that illegal immigration is a serious problem in our country, but we cannot turn away human beings in need of medical treatment. Denying emergency medical care based on nationality would not only be inhumane but also unlawful.' Although lawful protests are acknowledged and respected, she condemned any form of action, including road blockages or hospital disruptions, that endangered lives. Refuting media interference The MEC said she had no involvement in the non-renewal of radio presenter Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma's contract with Vuma FM. The station itself confirmed that the decision was made as part of its internal HR processes, with no external influence. 'I respect media freedom, but this freedom comes with legal and ethical responsibility to report fairly and accurately. When false allegations are spread, I have the same right as any citizen to defend my name,' Simelane said. She has since taken legal action to protect her reputation and the integrity of her office, following the vilification attempts made by certain individuals online. These actions are rooted in Simelane's constitutional right to defend herself and do not constitute an attempt to silence legitimate journalism. Farm loan and agricultural support clarified Unfounded critiques around her family's purchase of a farm have also been raised. The farm was financed through a loan from Ithala Bank in 2008, which was granted four years after Simelane had resigned from the family business in 2004, and years before she became Chairperson of the Agriculture Portfolio Committee in June 2016. In 2008, she was serving as a junior official in an entirely separate department without any input into or influence over Ithala Bank's loan approval processes. The facts of the matter remain clear and verifiable: The farm was financed through a private loan by Ithala Bank in 2008. MEC Simelane resigned from the family business in 2004, four years before the loan was issued. Her role as Chairperson of the Agriculture Portfolio Committee began only in 2016, well after the farm was acquired. Her family further applied for routine agricultural support from the Department of Agriculture on several other occasions over the years, all through standard application procedures. These applications were adjudicated by independent technical panels, without any involvement from elected officials. While the farm remains a separate family business, Simelane is not shying away from the facts. To further ensure transparency and public trust, a full and detailed report has been submitted to the Premier. In response to political opponents who have leveraged the claims to demand her resignation, Simelane strongly refuted the allegations, saying she will not bow to bullying tactics. 'Leadership should never be determined by threats or intimidation, but by truth, service, and due process. Sadly, bullying and online trolling have become far too common in our society by those seeking to harass and undermine others. I will not bow to those tactics, and I will not allow them to compromise the progress we are making within the province.' Family employment allegations Additional claims have suggested that the MEC used her position to influence the employment of family members. These are also false. Her sister's appointment as the Assistant Director of Human Resources in the Department of Health followed a transparent, competitive recruitment process. Her sister was already working within the department, and had the relevant qualifications and experience when she applied for the position. An independent panel conducted the interviews, and the MEC had no involvement. Her brother is a qualified finance professional with 15 years of corporate experience and verifiable academic credentials, and is employed as Director of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Simelane said the accusations of fraudulent CVs or preferential treatment are not only unsubstantiated, but deeply offensive to the many black professionals who have earned their positions through merit and hard work. Focused on service delivery As online narratives grow more personal and defamatory, Simelane affirmed her continued commitment to public service and delivery. Despite these distractions, the Department of Health continues to focus on expanding service access, improving healthcare infrastructure, and safeguarding the rights of all citizens. 'South Africa deserves leadership that is focused on service delivery, not to be preoccupied by political games and agendas. I will not be drawn into distractions or tomfoolery. I will not play politics with people's lives. I will continue to do what I have done since 2004: serve with dignity, lead with humility, and strive for a stronger, fairer, and more dignified healthcare system in KwaZulu-Natal,' Simelane concluded. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Misuse and wastage of medication in the health sector
A letter writer raises concern about the misuse and wastage of medication in government health facilities. Image: Pixabay Open letter to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi Sir, do you know the wastage and misuse of drugs that is occurring in our health facilities, costing the taxpayer millions?* There are hundreds of much-needed medical personnel who are unemployed, with the Department of Health citing lack of budgets as an excuse for such unemployment. Yet the gratuitous wastage and shrinkage in health facilities and the misuse of medication add to this growing scourge. This spans across major state hospitals to Community Health Centres (CHCs) to peripheral clinics, and budgets are exhausted long before the financial year end, placing facilities in an invidious position of not providing essentials and life-saving drugs. When last, if ever, did you or any of your directors-general do a spot oversight visit to a health facility to ascertain even a cursory look at how the facility is being run and the control measures implemented? Do you have any idea as to how drugs are being prescribed to the patients, and at times, misused in the manner in which they are prescribed? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The EDL (Essential Drugs List), which is used as a tool from which to prescribe drugs, has become meaningless - oftentimes, many of the drugs are not available due to non-payment to suppliers. Lazy or incompetent doctors (some, not all) prescribe drugs as if it were a grocery shopping list - up to 18 to 20 items per script. Is this even necessary? There are some doctors who simply add items onto a script at the behest of a patient - this goes beyond the pale, especially noting the fact that a doctor should know better, but panders to the pleadings of a patient. Sadly, this goes unchecked, but importantly it ultimately burdens the taxpayer significantly. Have you implemented any strict due diligence at all health facilities in the country to help prevent the theft of medication by staff, in one form or another? The fact that drug suppliers are not paid duly and withhold medical supplies handicaps medical practitioners from effectively implementing proper and cost-effective health care. Ask any state pharmacist the amount of unused drugs that are returned to the facility beyond the expiry date rendering such drugs unusable - strict patient compliant measures and control need to be implemented - are they? Sir, do not use the lack of funds as an excuse - change what is changeable, even if it is not palatable to the unscrupulous who care less about cost, and the availability of funds will increase exponentially. As the minister responsible for a critical aspect of our society, it is incumbent upon you not to be an ivory tower administrator but rather an activist of change and progress, and I hope that you do just that - else our failing state health care system will degenerate even further. I do not want to get started on the National Health Insurance (NHI) - that elephant in the room, in my candid opinion, will become tuskless - in time. THE MERCURY
