First electronic queue control system launched at Themba Hospital
Long queues and long stretches of time spent at Themba Hospital will be a thing of the past after the MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, officially launched the first electronic queue control system on Thursday.
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KABOKWENI – The system will reduce waiting times in health facilities and will improve the queuing process to be more orderly, efficient and streamlined.
Said Manzini, “We launch this system to alleviate the very long queues at our hospitals, whereby patients, especially the elderly, arrive here very early in the morning to be attended to. Firstly, as we have this Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in our midst, social distancing is of paramount importance as they await to register first.
“What is good about the system is that on registration at the outpatient department, each patient is allocated a number after submitting their identity number, to trace their files and direct them to a particular section where they will be attended to. There is no longer any carrying of files by patients, but as they are called out on the hailer, the medical staff access their files electronically and attend to them. They are then treated and finally they collect their medication at the pharmacy section already packaged.
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“Yes, it is a new system and it is working better. Our objective is to reduce the time spent here to at least 20 minutes, but that will vary depending on the different ailments of the patients.
“This system will be installed in all the hospitals across the province in order to improve our medical centres’ functioning at all times.
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“A healthy nation is a better community that will also be able to better cope with the likes of the coronavirus that has engulfed the entire world, including Mpumalanga,” said Manzini.
She was accompanied by the Head of Department, Dr Savera Mohangi, senior officials and hospital management as she personally took some rounds to ensure the system was up and working. She also interacted with patients and reorganised them to ensure social distancing among them.