Colesberg Hospital

Old hospital

New Hospital

Speech by the Minister of Health, M Tshabalala-Msimang, at the Official Opening of Colesberg Hospital

1 April 2004

Colesberg, Northern Cape

When the ANC government came into power, we indicated to the people of South Africa that there would be change in this country. We gave an undertaking to work with our people to create a better life for all. I am happy that today, I once again join the People of the Northern Cape, in witnessing one the milestones towards realizing this vision. This is no April Fool's joke...but the people of Colesberg have a brand new hospital.

When one is full of joy and happiness like I am today, one forgets everything about protocol. Comrade Premier I hope you and the people of Northern Cape will forgive me and understand the mood I am in today.

However Program Director, allow me to greet you

• Comrade Premier Manne Dipico

• My colleague Comrade Dipuo Peters, the MEC for Health

• All the MECs present today

• The political leadership of the Province and local government

• The Director General of the province,

• The HOD for Health and his management team

• The hard working health workers of this province, in particular those of the Umsobomvu district

• Community of Colesberg

• Invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

When we attained freedom, we inherited a country with many challenges and problems. One of these was the poor state of our health infrastructure and the inequitable distribution of all health resources. In 1995 we calculated that it would cost between R8-10 billion to bring the health infrastructure to an acceptable level. We had to have short-term solutions while we did further detailed planning, bearing in mind the limited resources we have as a developing country. We have since built more than 700 clinics and completed 920 projects in 220 hospitals.

We should all realize that during the first term of this government we had to transform the South African society and economy at different fronts, all at the same time. It is true that some of the provinces started from zero. I am glad that today I am addressing the leadership and people of the Northern Cape who know exactly what I am talking about. The achievements of this province are just unbelievable and credit goes to the vibrant leadership of Comrade Dipico and the rest of the leadership of this province. I am sure we will move from strength to strength.

As we narrate this story of our success we also need to realize that this government, while attempting to improve service delivery, also had to focus on fiscal discipline, which included tackling the debt we inherited from the apartheid government. This we have to a large extent achieved. We are therefore able to release more resources to improve delivery of social services, which include health, social development and education.

The other focus of our transformation was on developing legislation and policies that facilitate transformation of our country into non-racist, non-sexist and democratic society.

These policies had to be in line with our principles of equity and social justice. You should therefore not be surprised that those who have benefited from inequities will shout very loud and do all in their power to obstruct our initiatives. Of course the mistake they make is that even though South Africans have forgiven, we will never forget our past. South Africans know that the country must move forward with more vigor.

When we are accused of electioneering as we celebrate 10 years of our freedom and democracy, we must explain that the progress made over the past ten years in improving the lives of all South Africans has been enormous and it is worth celebrating. These are the fruits of our liberation. They were not achieved by magic or default. They are an outcome of the strategic thinking and hard work of the leadership and the people of Colesberg, of Northern Cape and South Africa as a whole. What you see here today is just one of the many things that the ANC government has achieved all over the country.

Program Director, this new hospital is a clear demonstration of our attempts to enhance service delivery by improving our infrastructure. I am glad to announce that this is the first hospital to be completed under the Hospital Revitalization Program. All of South Africa should note that the first was in the Northern Cape.

I would like to briefly explain this Hospital Revitalization program. As we were improving the health infrastructure we realized that, in most cases, this did not translate into improved service delivery. We therefore developed a more comprehensive program, which aimed to address the many factors affecting the delivery of quality health care. Over and above infrastructure improvement, health equipment must be of good quality and always available. There should be improvement in human resources and the management of the Hospital. The program also addresses the issues of quality information management as critical in improving efficiency.

In preparing our hospitals to be in a position to deliver quality service for this 21st Century I want to raise two issues pertaining to this Colesberg hospital we are opening today.

Firstly, the architectural design of this hospital incorporated issues of efficiency gains, the dignity of the patient and cost effectiveness of the building. Gone are the days of long corridors and 30-60 bedded wards. We are also not building second-class quality hospitals for the public sector. I want to congratulate the public health sector managers for leading the way in establishing this state-of-the-art facility. Gone are the days when public health sector used to have second-class hospitals.

Secondly, this is one of our new facilities that are of international standard and cannot be compared to any others in the country. There are many others we have built over the past ten years. I speak of Inkosi Albert Luthuli that is operating in Durban, Nelson Mandela Complex that we are about to officially open in Umtata and Pretoria Academic Hospital that should be completed soon.

For this revitalized hospital to continue delivering a sustained quality performance and contribute to the future of this town and district, there must be active community involvement to ensure that it meets the health needs of the people. The community should elect committed individuals into the hospital board. I just cannot have enough words to emphasize that this is your Hospital. Both the Management and the Leadership of this hospital should be accountable to you.

The ANC government has put resources to ensure that our health facilities are improved. This hospital was build at cost of about R30 million. In the rest of the country we have already spent about R1 billion in 27 hospitals, which are already covered by the Hospital Revitalization program over the past few years. For the financial year we are starting today (2004/05) we have increased allocation for the hospital revitalization program from R700 million to R911 million. This allocation is going to further increase to R1 billion in the next financial year (2005/06).

It is very important therefore to make sure that this money does not go to waste by not looking after our facilities. With good maintenance, a hospital of this stature should have a life span of between 40 - 60 years.

Comrade Dipico, allow me to conclude by encouraging all the health workers in this hospital and in the Northern Cape to continue delivering quality services to our people. The revitalization program improves your working conditions and provides you with all the equipment you need to meet the health needs of our people.

Patients must also meet the health workers half way and ensure that they work in a safe and protected environment. The community should treasure this facility and ensure that it is not vandalized.

This is your hospital. Cherish it. Protect it and use it to promote health in this district and the province of the Northern Cape.

Thank you.