He said it is now the most modern TB hospital in the Western Cape.The upgrade includes a new entrance, reception and outpatients area, as well as new roads and parking and a new occupational therapy room where patients can learn skills such as carpentry and painting.
All four wards were upgraded and now have an air extension system, oxygen units and nurse call buttons. The kitchen and storage facilities were also revamped, amongst others.
Botha said Western Cape Health is making excellent facilities and services accessible to the community, but still the TB problem is "just becoming bigger and bigger. A real breakthrough with TB remains elusive. We have a community that is becoming sicker and sicker while funds are becoming less and less."
He attributed this to patient behaviour, saying that it is "astonishing" that patients are not taking their medication as they should. This leads to increasingly resistant forms of TB despite the fact that the department has introduced rapid diagnostics two years ago to enable patients to start on treatment much earlier. "We are also providing escalating care for TB/HIV co-infected patients."
In the Western Cape, the incidence of TB is 935 out of 100 000 people, slightly higher than the national incidence of 823 per 100 000.
Botha said the community should start taking responsibility for their own health. "Specific education and community mobilisation are important to increase the knowledge of our population. The broader community should get involved in reducing the number of TB infection and deaths in our province by knowing the symptoms, knowing their health service delivery system and encouraging each other to go for early testing, knowing their HIV status and completing their treatment," said Botha.
He urged other government departments to cooperate in addressing the societal issues, which are at the root of the problem. "It can only be solved if government in general comes to the table and takes responsibility for the upliftment of communities and improvement of living conditions. We have to address this together."
Compared to the rest of the country, the Western Cape is reporting the lowest deaths of people on TB treatment. "It must be kept in mind that the cause of deaths reported was not necessarily TB, but death occurred while the patient was treated for TB," said Botha.
The provincial TB death rate is reported to be at 4 per cent (of all deaths). Among the areas most affected are Oudtshoorn at 7,2 per cent and Knysna at 6,9 per cent. Botha warned that resistant forms of TB that do not respond to existing medication have made their appearance.
In a short overview of the history of tuberculosis, Dr Hannelie Louw, manager of Harry Comay, said that in Europe sanatoriums were being built from the 1850s. By the turn of the century, a quarter of people on that continent were dying from the illness.
The Harry Comay Hospital was established in the late 1960s as a Santa hospital and renamed in the 70s after Harry Comay, a prominent local Jewish businessman who played an important role in raising funds for the hospital.
Approximately 100 patients are treated at the hospital at any given time and the average length of stay of a patient is six to eight weeks. Multi-drug and extreme drug resistant patients have to stay between four and six months.
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Western Cape Health Minister, Theuns Botha, cuts the ribbon to officially open the upgraded Harry Comay TB Hospital. Front, from left: Dr Renette Crous (chief director of rural districts), Prof Craig Househam (head of health), Dr Hannelie Louw (medical manager of the George sub-district), Dr Helise Schumann (Eden and Central Karoo director), Minister Botha and Henry McCombi (chairman of Eden District Health Council). Partially visible at the back are, from left: Charles Standers (George mayor),
ARTICLE: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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