Press release
Centurion Day Hospital
8 September 2016
Centurion Day Hospital (CDH) launch Project Open Hearts
On Thursday 8 September 2016, Centurion Day Hospital is made its theaters and facilities available for the whole day to accommodate needy patients in desperate need of dental day-procedures. Some of the children that benefitted from this project comes from community organisations in and around Pretoria including El-Shalem in Centurion for children with severe disabilities and Smile of Joy who assists HIV positive orphans with dental procedures. Most of these children have to undergo dental procedures in hospital under anaesthetics because it would be too traumatic to have it done in a dental chair. CDH wants to alleviate the financial pressure on these organisations by giving these children the procedures they need at no cost.
Centurion Day Hospital opened the doors of their new facility earlier this year and is excited about the opportunity to bring services to the heart of Centurion where there is a need for day procedure facilities. Worldwide up to 60% of surgical procedures can be done in a day hospital where the costs is much lower than in an acute hospital. A day hospital is a hospital where smaller day procedures are executed and patients don’t stay overnight. Some of the procedures include Dental surgery, Certain surgical procedures, Ear, Nose and Throat procedures, Gynaecology, Maxillofacial & Oral surgery, Cosmetic surgery Orthopaedic surgery and Endoscopic procedures carried out by specialists.
According to Mrs Elmarie Marais, general manager of Centurion Day Hospital, the hospital wants to give back to the community because they are grateful for the successful launch of the facility. “Today there are so many patients whose lives can be changed by a day procedure but they simply can’t afford it. Through the open hearts and hands of the medical community in Gauteng, we hope to make a lasting difference in the lives of patients through Project Open Hearts.”
The Pretoria branch of SADA (South African Dental Association) visited a few community organisations as part of National Dental Health Month in September to identify kids in desperate need procedures. The dentists that performed the 11 procedures as part of Project Open Hearts are all members of this branch and did it free of charge because of Dental Health Month. Centurion Day Hospital contributed their theatres and ward facilities, as well as the anaesthetics and medicine for recovery. The anaesthetists that assisted in all these procedures free of charge is Dr. Dave Viljoen en Dr. Charl Liebenberg.
Centurion Day Hospital made this a memorable experience for the patients with gift bags, balloons and snacks for sore throats after the procedure. “Surgery can be a very stressful experience, but our children friendly facility and staff will make sure everybody will have a positive hospital experience”, said Marais. Amori Booysen, the Smile of Joy clinical manager was full of praise for the hospital: “Smile of Joy HIV orphans oral care is deeply grateful for Centurion Day Hospital’s pro-bono treatment of 9 of the orphans and vulnerable children in need of theatre treatment. It is not just the relief of pain, but the gentleness, love and sincerity the children were treated with that made a huge impact in their lives”.
Mediaverklaring
Centurion Day Hospital
8 September 2016
Centurion Day Hosptial (CDH) loods Projek Open Hearts
Op Donderdag 8 September 2016, het Centurion Day Hospital die hele dag sy teaters en fasiliteite gratis aangebied om behoeftige pasiënte wat tandheelkundige prosedures benodig, te laat opereer. Die kinders wat hierby gebaat het is verbonde aan gemeenskapsorganisasies in die Pretoria-omgewing, oa. El-Shalem in Centurion vir kinders met ernstige gestremdhede asook Smile of Joy wat tandheelkundige hulp aan behoeftige HIV weeskinders bied. Meeste van die kinders se tandheelkundige prosedures moet ook onder narkose gedoen word omdat dit vir hulle te traumaties sal wees om die prosedures in die tandarts stoel te ondergaan. CDH wil graag die finansiële druk van die organisasies verlig deur aan kinders wat behandeling benodig, dit heeltemal kosteloos te bied.
Centurion Day Hospital het vroeër vanjaar in Mei die deure van hulle nuwe fasiliteite geopen en is baie dankbaar vir die geleentheid om in die hart van Centurion meer pasiënte te kan raak wat behoefte het aan fasiliteite vir dagprosedures. Wêreldwyd kan tot 60% van chirurgiese prosedures in daghospitale uitgevoer word waar kostes heelwat laer is as in akute hospitale. ‘n Daghospitaal is ‘n hospitaal waar kleiner dagprosedures uitgevoer word en pasiënte nie in die hospitaal oornag nie. Van die prosedures wat geakkommodeer word is tandheelkundige prosedures, oor, neus en keel prosedures, ginekologiese prosedures, kosmetiese chirurgie, ortopediese chirurgie, endoskopiese prosedures, mond-en-kaak chirurgie en nog vele meer.
Volgens Mev Elmarie Marais, algemene bestuurder van Centurion Day Hospital, wil die hospitaal in dankbaarheid vir hulle suksesvolle afskop graag terug gee aan die omringende gemeenskap. “Daar is vandag soveel pasiënte wie se lewe verander kan word deur ‘n dagprosedure maar dit eenvoudig nie kan bekostig nie. Deur die mediese wêreld se oop harte en hande hoop ons om deur Projek Open Hearts ‘n blywende verskil in die paar pasiënte se lewens te maak”.
Die Pretoria tak van SADA (South African Dental Association) het as deel van Mondgesondheidsmaand in September, ‘n gemeenskap uitreik aksie gehad in die vorm van ‘n “Dental Day” saam met verskeie gemeenskapsorganisasies waartydens kinders geïdentifiseer is vir opvolg behandeling. Die tandartse wat die 11 prosedures gedoen het tydens Project Open heart is almal lede van die tak en het hulle dienste gratis aangebied.
Centurion Day Hospital het die teater en saal fasiliteite aangebied, asook die medikasie nodig vir herstel en narkose. Die Narkotiseurs wat hulle dienste gratis aangebied het in samewerking met die hospitaal, is Dr. Dave Viljoen en Dr. Charl Liebenberg.
Die Centurion Day Hospital het die dag ‘n baie aangename ondervinding vir die pasiënte gemaak met geskenkpakkies, ballonne en lekker happies vir die seer kele na die tyd. “Chirurgie kan vir mense spanningsvol wees maar ons vriendelike span wat uitstekende diens lewer verander ‘n moontlike intimiderende situasie altyd in ‘n aangename ondervinding. Ons is baie ingestel daarop om veral kinders en ouers ‘n positiewe hospitaal ervaring te bied”, volgens Marais. Smile of Joy se Kliniekbestuurder, Amori Booysen was vol lof vir die hospitaal, “Smile of Joy HIV Orphans Oral Care is hartlik dankbaar vir die kostevrye behandeling van 9 van ons wees-en-kwesbare kinders wat teater behandeling benodig. Dit gaan oor meer as net pynverligting, maar die sagtheid, liefde en opregtheid waarmee die kinders hanteer was wat ‘n groot veskil in hulle lewens maak”
