Long-serving staff reflect on Groote Schuur as it turns 85
GROOTE Schuur Hospital staff and patients well enough to leave their beds gathered at the hospital’s Palm Court for musical entertainment as the hospital celebrated 85 years of service.
Management and staff, with a few patients, sought shelter from the scorching heat under a large tree while listening to MC Quinton Manuels, performers Nhoza Sitsholwana, Keanu Harker and Karin Kortje, supported by the Winston Siljeur Band.
The hospital’s foundation stone was laid in 1932 with construction lasting until 1936, and the facility opening in 1938.
The ceremonial silver key, made in Johannesburg, was presented to the then governor-general Sir Patrick Duncan when he opened the £1 million hospital to an almost entirely white crowd gathered in the Palm Court area for the opening ceremony.
The government-funded Groote Schuur is renowned for training some of the country’s finest doctors, surgeons and nurses.
Today, head of support services, infrastructure and facilities management Vincent Charles Rossouw, 60, from Old Strandfontein, will be celebrating 40 years at the hospital.
Rossouw started as a storekeeper and now supervises more than 600 personnel.
“When I started here in 1983, it was apartheid. We used to have a staff office, personnel office/HR for whites and non-whites, so with the abolition of apartheid, that was over. But the hospital (had) already started to integrate.”
Some notable changes he has witnessed over the years and under four CEOs include the construction and completion of the new hospital building and two new wings added to the hospital’s main building in 1984.
Eerste River resident Jennifer Arendse has been working at the hospital since 1990. “I resigned due to unforeseen things and was away for a few months and came back because this is my home.”
It was common to find people leaving and returning, she said.
Arendse is a palliative care sister providing end-of-life care to patients and support to their families in terms of understanding their loved one’s prognosis and putting support in place for the patient and the family.
“It is very emotional work but also very enriching.”
Director of nursing Aghmat Mohamed is responsible for managing 1600 nurses.
Mohamed said the hospital’s vision was to provide leading innovative healthcare.
The hospital was the first public sector hospital in Africa to perform Robotic Surgery in 2021, after acquiring the Da Vinci Xi fourth generation Robot.
It also launched its Diabetes Centre in November 2021 and an Adolescent Centre for Excellence last year. Other innovations included telemedicine and improvements in patient waiting times, which had drastically decreased, Mohamed said.
Operations manager in the cardiothoracic ward, Rowena Jacobs, said: “It is challenging at times but it is also fulfilling.
“You get to work with different people, different situations, and it all comes down to what you put in.
“It makes you feel good when people leave. It’s not always positive but you must always look on the bright side, because you can’t always save everybody but what you give is what is important.”
Surgical operations manager Sharon Britz said she was fortunate to be working at the hospital.
“Especially now that we’ve got our Wellness Centre, it just shows how they care for their employees, so you can take time out of your busy day, just for you. I started here in 1999 and I’m still here.”