New system at Steve Biko hospital reduces queues
Although the new system at Steve Biko still has some contingency problems, many patients are happy about the service.
Steve Biko Academic Hospital installed a new system aimed at reducing queues of pasients at the hospital.
According to Dr. Mathabo Mathebula, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, this new system, which was implemented on 21 August this year, is an electronic queue management system where patients get issued queue tickets that guarantees a patient’s place in queues.
While the prvious system was in place, there were no tickets being issued to patients, thus their place in the queue was not guaranteed.
“With the new system, the hospital doors open at 06h00 and the system starts functioning at 08:00. It is untrue that patients get turned away without having been served. If there is any patient that was turned away by any staff member, evidence would be necessary and action will be taken because that can also be verified using the same system,” said Mathebula.
According to Mathebula, the queues still seen early in the morning at the hospital are due to patients and staff memebers still getting used to the new system, but that the hospial has a contingency plan in place that is working.
One patient, JJ Pretorius, said that he is very content with the new system at the hospital.
“The queues are still long, but at least now there is a system where you know know your number,” he said.
Another patient, JP van Heerden said that the new system works much better than the old one.
“I have been waiting outside from 05:00 this morning, but as soon as the doors opened we received our numbers quite quickly and now we can wait comfortably inside,” Van Heerden said.
According to Loot Maré, also a patient at the hospital, he believes that the service at Steve Biko Academic hospital has improved remarkably since the implementation of the new system.
Though many patients have embraced the new system, many are still unhappy about waiting in queues before the doors open.
According to Mathebula, patients who arrive hours before 06:00 when the doors open, is not sensible.
“There are delays that are mainly due to patients that don’t know about the new system and don’t understand the system. The cooperation of patients will assist in the effectiveness of the system. People need to understand that there will be teething problems in the initial implementation of the system. When the system is fully functional the expectation is that queues would be dramatically reduced, the exact minutes or hours will be established as the system get fully functional,” Mathebula said.
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