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| Thobekile, a 3 year old toddler, has made St Mary’s her home, playground and sanctuary
since admission in May 2005. The little girl sustained open fire burns to her head, face and hands. St Mary’s
physiotherapy department have worked extensively... |
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| ...to assist with the healing which has been long but successful with scaring to her hand and
face. The sad part to this little girl's experience is that she has had to rely on the love and support of
therapists, visitors, and nurses for her healing, as she has had few visitors from any of her family. It is this
care that affords Thobekile and others in similar situations the chance to heal! |
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St Mary’s admits approximately 200 children under the age of 13 per month, and approximately 80% of the
children treated are suffering from secondary infections associated with HIV/AIDS.
These infections include
pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, persistent diarrhoea and vomiting, skin infections and malnutrition-related
diseases e.g. Kwashiorkor and Marasmus.
The other common admissions are related to the treatment of burns,
fractures, meningitis, neonatal jaundice, kidney infections, motor vehicle accidents, sexual and physical
abuse and firearm-related injuries.
A very sad fact is that the ward also provides temporary care and shelter
for abandoned children until they find foster parents or space in an orphanage. |
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The dedicated care from a team of doctors and nurses help these patients
heal on a physical and emotional level. It is often as this point that the physiotherapist and occupational
therapist have the arduous task of providing continuous care to assist in this healing process.
The implementation of a high risk clinic has also provided this team with the opportunity to follow up on
premature babies born at St Mary’s or with children who are experiencing developmental delays. Unfortunately,
there is an increase in the numbers of children experiencing mild to severe disabilities, who require
treatment.
Not only does the physiotherapy department aid our very young patients but the department
provides preventative and curative support to the older in and out patients at St Mary’s.
Two community rehabilitation facilitators provide continuous support and care to our patients in the
community. |
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| The facilitators educate the community, lobby for the rights of disabled persons, assist in
the provision for access to services as well as provide medical treatment to patients in the home
environment. |
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| The following statistics indicate the numbers of people from the community that we support: |
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| On an annual basis: |
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15 000 people receive inpatient treatment in the Hospital; |
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In excess of 64 000 people visit the outpatient clinics; |
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6 000 babies come into the world via the Hospital’s Midwife Obstetric Unit; |
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4 000 children are treated in the 45-bed Children’s ward. |
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Our primary health care clinic, St Anne’s, also supports the medical needs
of our catchment areas being Nazareth, Mariann Park and Westmead. There is a strong emphasis on holistic health
care and education at St Anne’s. Young families are guided through a health plan which deals with growth,
breastfeeding, immunization, family planning, food supplements, female literacy, first aid and the father’s
involvement in the development of a child. Additional patient services include psychiatric treatment, and a
tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetic clinic.
Continuous, holistic, quality healthcare within the community
is echoed yet again, through the provision of a school nurse who identifies children in the community who
require medical treatment. |
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While St Mary’s Hospital is addressing the issue of prolonging the lives
of people living with HIV/AIDS, in the iThemba Family Care Centre (antiretroviral programme), a major concern
of St Mary’s Hospital, however, lies with the provision of end-of-life care for the large numbers of HIV/AIDS
patients currently coming to the Hospital in search of treatment for opportunistic infections, pain relief and,
for some, a chance to die with dignity.
Approximately 70% of the patients either presenting at St Mary’s
Outpatients Department or being admitted to St Mary’s suffer from HIV/AIDS related diseases.
As a result of
the increase in the number of patients that are severely sick and require prolonged hospital treatment; |
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| and due to the fact that St Mary’s service agreements with the KwaZulu Natal Department of Health do not
adequately provide for “step-down” care, additional funding is required to meet the needs of those patients who are beyond medical
cure. It becomes clear in observing the clinical picture of patients presenting at St Mary’s that more and more patients are reaching
the final stages of AIDS. |
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| According to statistics from the MRC (2002) South Africa is only now beginning to feel the increase not only in
HIV infections but in AIDS related diseases and AIDS related death |
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St. Mary's Hospital - © Copyright 2005 |
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| IT : 2376/95 |
| NPO : 043-932 |
| PBO : 18/11/13/1877 |
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