Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital
Gertie's new adventure The devoted CEO of Gertrude's Children's Hospital talks about how they put patients at the forefront of what they do. Writer Emily Jarvis Project manager Eddie Clinton Gertrude's Children's Hospital was founded in 1947, with the donation of land by Colonel Ewart Grogan, pioneer extraordinaire, in memory of his beloved wife, Gertrude Edith. Now fronted by CEO Gordon Odundo, the hospital continues to expand its services. As the years have passed, Gertrude's Children's Hospital has become more and more of a 'giving' hospital. it has won prestigious awards for its Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Gertrude's from the beginning was and will always be a simple hospital: it now has completed the full circle by becoming a place of hope for sick children who have no expectations elsewhere. Mr Odundo explains: "People all over the world find it difficult to find a model that can sustain children's health because children are dependent on adults to pay for their upkeep, they don't have an income, so the health system doesn't readily support children's hospitals as financial and viable projects." Gertrude's use reliable local suppliers from Kenya of the all important hospital equipment, who deal with reputable brands, as Odundo justifies: "By using suppliers that have the distributorship and the sole rights to their equipment and medicines, we are able to find maintenance contracts and equipment to ensure our supplies will be on time. We avoid difficulties with passing things through the port, meaning our items are delivered to us on site accordingly." The Benefits of…
Unichem Ghana
Health for All Unichem Ghana is a subsidiary of Unichem Group which markets and distributes pharmaceutical products worldwide. Writer Chris Farnell Project manager Eddie Clinton Unichem Ghana is a company with a vision and that vision is to provide healthcare for everyone. As a leading pharmaceutical firm with a globally recognised presence, Unichem is dedicated to serving Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest quality products to improve wellbeing, life expectantly and quality of life at prices that are widely affordable. It is a goal that Unichem Ghana is meeting not by remaining static but by growing and changing constantly to maintain its position at the forefront of healthcare innovation and development. It takes into account people's physical, emotional, social, vocational and even spiritual wellbeing to create a new definition of the phrase "healthy lifestyle". At the Ghanaian headquarters of the much larger Unichem Group, the firm has been responsible for the distribution and marketing of the highest quality ethical pharmaceutical specialities, including surgical products, hospital disposables and generics. Through Unichem, Ghanaian healthcare professionals have access to such leading global brands as 3M, LUEX, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, Wallace, and Walter Ritter, paving the way for safe and affordable healthcare across West Africa. For over 50 years the firm has led pharmaceutical distribution in Ghana and the region, building capabilities and making efficient use of resources to set up Unichem Industries Ltd., a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant producing tables, capsules and dry powder that has become a benchmark for the rest of the African pharmaceutical market. Even now it is…
Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital
Caring for Kenya Africa Outlook speaks to Dr John Kibosia of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital about what it's like operating Kenya's second largest referral hospital. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eddie Clinton The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital located in Eldoret, Kenya - home to Kenya's fourth international airport - has nearly 100 years of history having been founded in 1917 as the Native Cottage hospital with a bed capacity of 60. Today, it has a bed capacity of 550 serving the larger Western and Nyanza provinces in Kenya and its surrounding areas of Kapenguria, Kapsowar, Kitale, Nandi, Kapsabet and Tambach, as well as offering medical education through its association with Moi University, a major development. The hospital has certainly moved with the times – and we're happy to bring you its story because, as it has evolved, it has helped to transform healthcare in Kenya. Let's go back to 1990 when its association with Moi University began. "Moi has been at the forefront of training. The facility was upgraded to a hospital to be a training facility for the medical students," explains Dr John Kibosia of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. "The link has been good because so far whenever Moi Hospital University is mentioned – it is an honour. It is the university which has made the hospital." The upgrade did not come without its own challenges and, as the centre upgraded and grew, the patient numbers grew even more rapidly. "Previously referral cases had to be taken to Kenyatta national Hospital but…
Premier Service Medical Investments
Zimbabwe's largest healthcare giver Premier Service Medical Investments is Zimbabwe's premier healthcare service provider. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eddie Clinton Zimbabwe's healthcare was once the envy of Africa. It was outstanding. But in the last two decades it has deteriorated, made worse as a result of the country's economic crisis. Indeed, Zimbabwe's economy boomed after independence in 1980, a time when healthcare standards were high, but from 2000 the seizure of white-owned farms led to chaos in the agriculture sector and the economy shrank by half. In 2008 hyperinflation of 231 million percent broke the national currency and left millions of people hungry and healthcare in crisis. The adoption of the U.S. dollar and South African rand however have brought a measure of stability and the government's national budget for this year stands at $3.8 billion, with the economy projected to grow five percent. And, on the healthcare front, the government is acting. It wants to have the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all its citizens – and that means ensuring every Zimbabwean has access to comprehensive and effective health services. Currently however, if you don't have medical insurance in Zimbabwe, the method of payment is cash. There is no room for negotiation of terms. Levels of access are low. The result is a sorry state of affairs when it comes to affordable medical treatment. Key to improving this will be companies like Premier Service Medical Investments (PSMI), a subsidiary of Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMA S) "established in…
Lenmed Health Bokamoso Private Hospital
The future of healthcare Lenmed Health Bokamoso Private Hospital near Gaborone is one of only two private hospitals in Botswana and it has been operational since January 2010, bringing state-of-the-art technology to provide the best possible patient care. Writer Hannah Eiseman-Reynard Project manager Eddie Clinton Bokamoso Private Hospital is owned by Bpomas and run by Lenmed Health which also runs hospitals and other health facilities in South Africa and Mozambique, and the group is able to bring its industry-wide expertise of the world class facility, to offer patients the best of both worlds. Bokamoso Private Hospital caters to needs which had not previously been met in Botswana, a country which faces many challenges when it comes to health, burdened by HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The hospital is on the frontline and patients can expect the very best levels of treatment and will have the time and attention of medical specialists. With 200 beds, the facility boasts an incredible 60 specialists based permanently on site. "One of our unique selling points is the range of specialist services that we provide," says marketing manager Mmabatho Amelia Mokabedi, who told us that the Bokamoso Private Hospital can offer patients "a fully joined-up service" with specialisms in neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, sports medicine, pathology and gynaecology. The hospital sports a cardiac catheterisation lab, an oncology and nuclear medicine unit, a dialysis unit and, of course, radiology, while it also houses a rehabilitation unit, an orthopaedic unit, ophthalmology, and has 24-hour accident and emergency services. "Our five operating…
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
Pioneering healthcare in Ghana The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is Ghana's "premier healthcare facility". It is also celebrating its 90th birthday. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eddie Clinton Ghana has made significant improvements in healthcare and there have been remarkable achievements when it comes immunisation rates and under-five mortality in the past few decades. a lot of thanks must to go to the government and its development partners. However more can always be done. Established on October 9 1923, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital continues to "blaze the trail" when it comes to healthcare and over the last 90 years has grown from an initial 200-bed hospital to a world class medical facility with over 2,000 beds. That makes it Africa's third largest hospital. It is also the leading national referral centre in Ghana. "Korle Bu, which means 'the valley of the Korle lagoon', was established as a general Hospital to address the health needs of the indigenous people under Sir Gordon Guggisberg's administration, the then governor of the gold Coast," the hospital's website says. "Population growth and the proven efficacy of hospital-based treatment caused a rise in hospital attendance in Korle Bu. By 1953, demand for the hospital's services had escalated so high that the government was compelled to set up a task force to study the situation and make recommendations for the expansion of the hospital. The government accepted and implemented the recommendations of the task force which resulted in the construction of new structures, such as the maternity, medical, Surgical and Child Health…
Daymed Medical Centre & Private Hospital
Dreaming big Africa Outlook profiles Pietermaritzburg's Daymed Medical Centre and Private Hospital, the realisation of one man's dream. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eddie Clinton In 2004 The Daymed Medical Centre and Private Hospital opened its doors. The facility is the realisation of a dream of Dr Navind Dayanand, who has used his own money to set up it up. And he's doing a fantastic job. "We employ 120 staff and have 85 beds, casualty, general and semi private wards, maternity, renal dialysis, an operating theatre, x-ray, ICU, ambulance services and much more," Dr Dayanand explains. "It has taken a lot of resilience, hard work and determination." Dr Dayanand is one of the most respected doctors in Pietermaritzburg and the hospital was born from a determination to "do something better". "I wanted to have a small hospital basically and we've kept on growing," he says. "How has it changed? I initially founded a medical centre and it grew significantly leading to the opening of a hospital, initially 22 beds and it increased and increased over time. And the range of medical services has also expanded." In the last 12 months the hospital has performed "very well" with ward occupancy at "about 93 percent". It has now embarked on an extension which will see the number of beds rise to 215. "We are extending the hospital now to almost 100 beds more," says Dr Dayanand. "The building has commenced already and it is a multimillion-rand expansion. It is a modern hospital with better facilities and catering for…
Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital
Healing a nation In August JSE-listed pharmaceuticals giant aspen Pharmacare pledged to contribute R5 million towards the establishment of the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. the need for such a facility is clear: Right now there are only four dedicated children's hospitals in the entire continent of Africa, one in Cape Town, one in Nairobi, and two in Cairo. Yet, there are nearly 450 million children. Writer Chris Farnell Project manager Eddie Clinton In South Africa there are 54 deaths per 1,000 children born every year compared to eight per 1,000 or less in the U.S., UK and Germany. Deaths among the under-fives are becoming increasingly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is also where children are at the highest risk of death within their first month of life. It is a serious problem that will need a large scale solution. To this end, the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital has been launched, a project that will result in the largest children's medical facility in Africa, building towards achieving the millennium Development goal of cutting mortality among the under fives by two thirds between 1990 and 2015. Nelson Mandela is a name that is recognised the world over as that of a great humanitarian leader but even now there are still people working to expand his legacy for a whole new generation. In his own words: "a children's hospital will be a credible demonstration of the commitment of African leaders to place the rights of children at the forefront. Nothing less would be enough." One of the people inspired…
T-Systems Healthcare : A Healthy Business
T-Systems are part of a multinational company that spans the globe. However that doesn’t stop them paying attention to the details when working with local communities in South Africa.
Surgitech
The science of specialisation Surgitech is a leading supplier of innovative speciality surgical devices throughout South Africa. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eddie Clinton Established in 1986, Surgitech is a leading supplier of innovative speciality surgical devices throughout South Africa. It has developed a strong customer base in the private hospital segment and has a reputation within the industry as being market leaders within a number of product offerings. "We are proactive and dynamic and more than just distribution," says Managing Director Paul Landman. "We regularly research the latest international surgical developments, enabling us to offer state-of-the-art products and we provide ongoing professional training, so that doctors and nurses can realise the full advantages of these world-class products and developments." S Surgitech shareholders include private equity giant RMB Corvest and BBBEE investment firm Shalamuka Capital. It is headquartered in Johannesburg and is represented in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Garden Route and Bloemfontein. "The South African medical industry is quite challenging from the point of view that there are uncontrollable variables that we are faced with on a daily basis," says Landman when asked about how the business is performing. The big challenge is access to healthcare. First-rate medical care is available but for a price. It's estimated that only 7.5 million South Africans can afford private high-quality healthcare. The rest, nearly 42 million people or 84 percent of the population, depend on the South African public healthcare system. "Our business has two challenges: first, we are dependent on the private medical insurance companies that determine…
