IN its efforts to resolve the oncology services crisis facing the province, the Kwazulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo met with oncology systems at multinational firm – Varian Medical Systems – Jean-Luc Devlleschauwer as well as Varian SA country manager, Celestine Mbongo, this week. The meeting cemented the agreement that Varian, the manufacturer of the Addington installed machines will now be responsible for keeping the machines operational.
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“We are indeed excited that already technicians from Varian are on the ground at Addington Hospital, and have been able to fix one of the oncology machines, while the second one is expected to be in working order in due course. With this development, it is hoped that waiting times for patients who require oncology services will improve. We are confident that this latest development will go a long way towards addressing the challenges that we’ve been experiencing regarding oncology,” said Dhlomo.
President of Varian, Devlleschauwer, said “Our concern is to make sure that patients are being serviced. We will work to ensure that the machines are up and running soon.”
Added to this, MEC Dhlomo also revealed that the Department has advertised four vacant Oncology posts for this highly-specialized service. These include the Head of the Oncology Clinical Unit, who will co-ordinate Oncology specialist services within the province to ensure equitable distribution of resources to achieve optimal patient care within the defined level of institutional responsibility; participate in the provision of tertiary and central Oncology services; provide outreach services to clinicians, including expert advice to clinicians to manage patients appropriately.
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Other posts advertised are for medical specialists in the Radiation Oncology Department. Their responsibilities include provision of holistic care for oncology patients; maintenance of medical records, participation in the Quality Improvement Programmes of the Department/Hospital; maintenance of clinical, professional and ethical standards, and involvement in community-orientated/outreach programmes, including the provision of expert advice and services to all health facilities within the province.
