The multi-million rand expansion project to the award-winning Netcare Ferncrest Hospital in Rustenburg is at an advanced stage. These expansions and upgrades to the facility will ensure that the hospital will continue meeting the needs of the ever-growing community in the North West Province for highly specialised private healthcare services.
This is according to the hospital’s general manager, Dr Naveen Jumna, who adds, “We are tremendously excited to see the rapid progress that has already been made with this project, which represents a considerable investment in the local community.”
New facilities include a catherisation laboratory and a cardiothoracic theatre, where heart conditions can be diagnosed and treated using state-of-the-art, new 3D-imaging technology. These will form part of a hybrid theatre in which a range of different heart procedures can be performed, including coronary angiograms, stent insertions, cardiac bypass surgery and other open-heart surgery such as valve replacement procedures. Dr Jumna explains that there is no other private hospital in the province offering such comprehensive and specialised cardiac services.
Other additions and upgrades to the hospital include a new central sterile supply department (CSSD) and substantial upgrades to the existing wards. The hospital will also be able to accommodate more patients, with 10 intensive care beds, 10 high care beds and 28 general beds being added. Ten new doctors’ consulting suites and three new sessional doctors’ suites are being built so that more specialists can practise at the hospital with its rapidly expanding service offering.
Equipment is also being upgraded to ensure that the hospital functions at optimal efficiency. For example, the new 1000 kilovolt-ampere (KVA) generator can power the entire hospital in the event of a power outage or load shedding, whereas the previous generator only powered essential services such as surgical theatres and ICUs. The hospital has also installed a new chiller plant for its air-conditioning system, a new water filtration plant and new boilers. The new technology employed is more energy efficient than the previous systems.
“The first phase of development, including the catherisation laboratory and cardiothoracic theatre, the CSSD, doctors’ tea room, 10-bed adult ICU, 10-bed high care ward and the first five new doctors’ suites and three new sessional suites are expected to be completed by the end of April this year,” says Dr Jumna. The second phase, including the new 28-bed ward and the additional five doctors’ suites, will be completed by the end of September 2015.
“It is our aim to offer a comprehensive range of specialist services within a single facility and be recognised throughout the region as the referral hospital for private healthcare,” he asserts.
Dr Jumna adds that the expansions and upgrades are part of a proactive and ongoing effort to improve patient experience at the facility, “We are well aware that our valued patients are the reason for our existence. It is critical to us that the services we offer meet their needs and that they trust us to consistently provide them with quality care.”
Dr Jumna says that the expansion and upgrade project is one of the most important developments in private healthcare in the greater Rustenburg region. “This project will bring quality healthcare to more people in the region. Individuals will benefit as they will no longer have to travel outside of the province to obtain highly specialised private medical services. Netcare Ferncrest Hospital will be offering all of the important specialisations right here in Rustenburg,” he concludes.
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Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare Ferncrest Hospital
Contact: Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Sarah Wilson or Jillian Penaluna
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]