Cancer hospital under new management
Richards Bay Medical Institute now a subsidiary of Joint Medical Holdings
LOCAL cancer treatment hospital, the Richards Bay Medical Institute (RBMI), is now under new management.As a subsidiary of Joint Medical Holdings (JMH), the JMH RBMI was relaunched last week, attended by local dignitaries, Department of Health officials, local businesses and members of the health fraternity.
Acting Hospital Manager Musa Madonsela said the union with JMH has been the brainchild of its shareholders and Oncologist Prof JP Jordaan to provide oncology services locally as patients had to previously travel to Durban for treatment.
‘There was no sub-acute facility in Richards Bay and RBMI was established in January 2014 to meet the need. Now JMH has filled the gap as shareholders,’ said Madonsela.
Keynote speaker, Department of Health KZN HOD Dr S Mtshali, said the health department is faced with many challenges and there is not enough money to take care of all the needs in the public sector.
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‘There are many difficulties, such as the exchange rate as well as the drugs and equipment which we are buying from overseas.
‘There is another looming crisis next year in July when we have to absorb students who are completing their final year studies. We do not have the capacity to absorb them.
‘There are huge opportunities to work with the private healthcare sector and when the oncology crisis hit, we had to look at the private sector.
‘There has always been a relationship between the private and public health sectors and a failing public sector will eventually lead to a failing private sector, so we need both of these to function well.’
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