ST ELIZABETH’S HAEMODIALYSIS UNIT READY FOR WSU MEDICAL SPECIALISTS

Through its significant connection to St Elizabeth Hospital in Lusikisiki, WSU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences attended the official launch of the hospital’s Haemodialysis Unit, hosted by the provincial health MEC, Ntandokazi Capa.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the institution and the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH) signed in 2023, WSU was tasked with dispatching medical specialists to St Elizabeth to enhance accessibility to expert healthcare services.

This is as per WSU’s Vision 2030 of addressing and responding to societal needs and challenges, which aligns with goal 3 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of achieving universal health coverage.

Associate Dean and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Professor Mana Mdaka, made a humble appeal to ECDoH for the continued support of specialists.

“The prescribed time for a specialist to complete their training is about five years, depending on the speciality. Sometimes the candidate needs an extra year or so to complete the research component, which is very little time compared to that for which the candidate has already been sponsored,” said Mdaka.

Mdaka said that instead of candidates being kicked out from the healthcare system, they should be supported and retained, lest they move to other provinces.

Meanwhile, in her keynote address, Capa described the unit as a first of its kind to be in a rural set-up, which serves the purpose of decentralising healthcare services.

“Generally, you would not find this service in a regional hospital, but because of the topography and the distance that patients travel, we felt it was important that we bring it closer to them. It will also unburden the cost of them having to travel,” said Capa.

She added that previously, it would take patients about two days to access this service in Mthatha, as they would first need to spend a night at the hospital and wake up early next morning to travel.

The unit currently has three dialysis machines, with another three to be added soon. It is staffed with five professional nurses and already has 13 patients who have been put on the programme.

Eastern Cape Director Deputy General for Clinical Services, Dr Mtandeki Xamlashe, explained the process of accessing this treatment service, saying that patients will first be assessed by physicians and specialists in a specialist hospital.

“Only once a patient is cleared of any co-existing conditions, are they then put on a palliative dialysis program. Now because many patients come from afar, the main dialysis centre, based in Mthatha Region Hospital and Nelson Mandela Central, would then down refer them to this unit at St Elizabeth for the continuation of palliative dialysis which is closer to home,” said Xamlashe.

St Elizabeth Hospital is being prepared to host the WSU Rural Clinical School, which is the second rural clinical school in the country.

By Thandeka Mgqibi