November 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
28
projects & contracts
A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND,
40-bed XDR-TB ward
was opened at Jose Pearson TB Hospital
in Port Elizabeth by Eastern Cape Member
of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health,
Sicelo Gqobana, officials from the Depart-
ment of Health and topmunicipal and health
sector officials.
Sod was also turned on the second – and
more complex – phase of the José Pearson
TB Hospital upgrade to mark the onset of
construction of the new pharmacy and
outpatient department (OPD) sections of
the hospital.
“Todaywe are deliveringbest practice, the
first of its kind XDR-TB ward in the country,”
said Gqobana, adding that the model would
be replicated around the country as it repre-
sented a centre of excellence in health.
Gqobana also said the department did
not have “the luxury of time” when it came
to delivering services to the people and that
infrastructure projects were an integral part
of addressing the challenges in the health
sector, of which the new ward, pharmacy
and OPD centre at Jose Pearson were lead-
ing examples.
The second phase of the R19-million
construction project will see the establish-
ment of top-class facilities to serve the local
community, the department said at the
event. The project is being managed by the
Coega Development Corporation (CDC), the
department’s implementing agent on a range
of provincial projects.
“This highly important project is geared to
meet the needs of people with TB in Nelson
Mandela Bay,”said Eastern Cape Health MEC,
Sicelo Gqobana.
A mixed mode approach – focusing on
social and infrastructural interventions – for
dealing with site-specific challenges at Jose
Pearson has resulted in improved TB cure
rates, Gqobana said.“Before we started here,
José Pearson was very unstable. There were
no recreational services or facilities and as a
result many of the patients absconded and
started to default on their treatment, a tragic
situation for managing TB. So we focused on
building sporting and recreational facilities
and engaged with the patients and their
families to understand andmeet their needs.
“We also embraced a community man-
agement approach in terms of TB treatment
and those who are not highly contagious are
now treated in the community. All of these
interventions have resulted in an improved
cure rate for TB patients, something we are
very proud of.”
Phase II of TB hospital upgrade underway
Health services in NelsonMandela Bay got amajor boost recently when
a new centre of excellence was opened to cope with the difficult
strain of extremely drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and its impact
on patients in the region.
“In terms of the construction we are already
hard at work with the first phase, which has
focused on putting priority works – such as
new fencing, security and lighting – in place
and we are now ready to tackle the major
construction works.”
The secondphase started today as ground
was broken on the site of the new pharmacy,
led by Masithembeke Construction.
“This new construction phase will create
about 50 jobs,” said Gqobana. “The SMME
component which aims for 35% small
business participation will also see about
R6,7-million of the project value earmarked
for SMMEs. We are thinking about com-
munities from beginning to end. Even at
the construction phase we are focused on
participation and equitable distribution.”
The OPD construction will see a dispen-
sary, two consultation rooms, two offices,
staff ablutions and facilities, a bulk store
with proper cold room storage facility and an
outpatient collection fromdispensary go up.
“The CDC has a major presence in health
care upgrades throughout the province and
this forms a crucial part of our organisational
focus on socio-economic development.
A healthy population and labour force
is pivotal to a successful local economy
and the CDC is proud to be part of sustained
moves by the Department of Health to
revitalize the sector and service the
people of the province,” said Ayanda
Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and
communications. The CDC is currently work-
ing on planning and execution of about
51 construction and upgrade projects
Coega Development Corporation Department of Health programme director, Babini
Melitafa (left) shows the plans for the new pharmacy at José Pearson TB Hospital.
throughout the Eastern Cape and
providing maintenance across four
provincial clusters.
The ground-breaking comes as
part of the Department of Health’s
province-wide move to renew the
health sector.“The quality of the ser-
viceswe give to our people – and the
environment we create for health
care practitioners – should reinstate
their self-worth,”said Gqobana.
“The Department of Health is
committed to changing the face of
health care in the province by invest-
ing heavily in such refurbishments,
facilities and, of course, quality staff
to deliver services and therefore
hope to the people.”
José Pearson TB hospital is a 230
bed hospital which also provides
emergency services, medical ser-
vices, paediatrics, Anti-Retroviral
Treatment (ART), occupational,
pharmacy andTB services, as well as
prevention of mother to child trans-
mission and voluntary counselling
and testing. The construction runs
for 11months andwill be completed
by August 2014.
●
