Intensive Care Unit at provincial hospital gets a makeover
Although, the facility had already been in partial use for the past years, the project for repurposing started in November 2021 and concluded in January 2023,
POLOKWANE – The newly revamped Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital requires the facility to be exempted from load-shedding.
This is the opinion of its board chairperson, Dikgabane Rampedi.
The former Limpopo customer relations manager at Eskom joined the Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba and the hospital management in officially handing over 17 wards, combined with 12 additional ICU beds bringing their new total number to 29.
Although, the facility had already been in partial use for the past years, the project for repurposing started in November 2021 and concluded in January 2023, with patients already being admitted from this past Sunday.
Rampedi said to avoid the frustration the ICU staff faces in between when their automatic energy generator kicks in and when the power gets cut, should be brought to the power utility’s attention, especially at such a trusted tertiary hospital.
The board intends on writing to Eskom, in request for exemption which Rampedi says is not impossible to attain, given Mankweng hospital among others already have a similar arrangement in place.
Ramathuba who received the board’s effort in great joy, said a special appreciation is well deserved to the contractor who stuck to the agreed deadline of construction.
“I hope all contractors will follow suit. When you are given such a responsibility, please finish the work because it is about the lives of people,” she said.
Ramathuba added that the department often receives backlash from the public for not concluding construction projects, due to contractors who disappear before the work is done.
