“A range of structural and equipment upgrades as well as the introduction of a host of new specialities and services at Netcare Kingsway Hospital in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu- Natal during 2016, will ensure substantially improved and expanded healthcare services for patients right on their doorstep,” says Annatjie Demetriou, general manager of Netcare Kingsway Hospital.
According to Demetriou the current enhancements will change the hospital’s status from a 201-bed to a large category facility, with 238 beds, which will have the capacity to assist more patients while meeting the needs of a fast growing community. The building project, which commenced in 2015, is scheduled for completion in December 2016.
Additional specialist services at the hospital will include neurology, endocrinology, rheumatology, nephrology and thoracic (chest) surgery. Much needed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment will also be installed to ensure that patients no longer have to travel to Durban for specialised imaging services.
Structural upgrades at the hospital will result in the addition of 37 additional beds, a four-level parking garage, a medical centre with 12 new doctors’ rooms, as well as improvements to the hospital kitchen.
The maternity and neonatal intensive care facilities, which are currently under construction to upgrade the existing facilities, are due for completion in April this year. Upgrades to the intensive care unit will follow and the upgrades to the last adult ward on the ground floor, will form part of the final construction phase.
To keep pace with growing patient and visitor volumes, significant enhancements are also being made to the parking facilities. One such upgrade, aimed at improving access, particularly for older and less mobile patients and visitors, will be to connect the parking deck to the lift lobby of the new medical centre.
The second and third floors of the new medical block, which will include 37-additional beds, will be linked to the medical centre via a bridge. Access to reception will remain via the parking deck through the lower ground tunnel and the new temporary entrance, which is situated at the side of the hospital. A temporary road has been constructed around the new building to provide access for emergencies to the emergency department entrance.
Recent improvements at the hospital ensured recognition for the outstanding work of the emergency department, which was accredited by the Trauma Society of South Africa as a level-3 trauma facility in December 2015. Netcare Kingsway Hospital is the first private hospital in KwaZulu-Natalto achieve accreditation.
According to Demetriou it is the vision of the hospital to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary service to its patients. “At Netcare Kingsway Hospital we never compromise on service delivery. We are therefore focusing our efforts on enhancing the availability of specialist services and have also increased our staff complement.”
She went on to assure patients that their healthcare was a priority for doctors, staff and management at the hospital and that there will be no compromise on quality during the building project. “At Netcare Kingsway Hospital we put patient care first, and during the upgrades we will ensure that the highest standards of care are maintained,” assures Demetriou.
“This hospital has come a long way since it was first built as a 25-bed clinic by a group of doctors in 1982. Later years saw the facility being taken over and expanded by Clinic Holdings, which grew the number of beds by 100 by July 1990. “
Under the aegis of the Netcare Group the hospital has consistently enhanced its service offering and infrastructure. In the last decade enhancements included a major building project in 2007, the opening of a new oncology ward in 2008 and considerable further upgrades in 2010. The paediatric ward was upgraded and relocated in 2013 as part of a general refurbishment project, which included upgrades to all hospital wards.
“Netcare Kingsway Hospital management, staff and doctors wish to thank the community for their ongoing support which continues to enable the hospital to grow along with the communities that it has served for more than thirty years,” says Demetriou.
Ends
Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare Kingsway Hospital
Contact: Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Meggan Saville or Devereaux Morkel
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]