Hospital celebrates with health care expo
A PUBLIC health care expo is to be held at Durban’s Ahmed Al-kadi Private Hospital later this month in celebration of its first birthday following a year-long public education and awareness drive.
“The story behind the year-old hospital is a dream that became a vision,” said spokesperson José Nadesan. “Our mission is to provide quality, patient-focused health care to all communities irrespective of ethnicity, gender, race or religion.”
After opening its doors on April 3 last year, the hospital started its first health awareness campaign, focusing on hand hygiene.
“We visited Centenary Secondary and Charles Hugo Primary schools and Little Explorers Montessori,” said Nadesan.
“We wanted to demonstrate the importance of hand hygiene within the sector and take it into the community at large. We view hand hygiene as the most important factor in preventing the spread of infections – a major threat to patient safety and cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.”
The hospital’s awareness campaign earned it the KZN Specialist Network World Hand Hygiene Floating Trophy 2017.
It also hosted a Women’s Wellness Day in association with Perumal and Partners Radiologists. The event included talks on the benefits of breastfeeding for newborn development and growth.
Then in September last year, the hospital tackled the myths around back pain, presenting talks by various experts including a biokineticist, a physiotherapist, chiropractor and clinical psychologist.
On World Diabetes Day, also in September, it highlighted the fact that 3.5 million South Africans (about 6% of the population) suffer from diabetes, with many more undiagnosed. “It is estimated that another 5 million have pre-diabetes, a condition where insulin resistance causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal.”
The hospital’s campaign focused on early detection of diabetes, symptoms of which include fatigue, excessive thirst and urination, slow wound healing, skin infections and blurred vision.
“Many people fail to recognise these as warning signs,” said Nadesan.
In November, urologist Dr Aslam Bhorat and oncologist Poovan Govender focused on the prostate and management of prostate cancer.
Free prostate-specific antigen screenings were sponsored by Lancet Laboratories.
In December, the hospital’s safety, health and environment officer spoke on Cii (Channel Islam International) radio about patients’ rights and associated issues arising.
This was followed by Ahmed Al-kadi Private Hospital’s first Pregnancy Awareness Day in January, which attracted more than 165 people.
Supported by a range of exhibitors and resident obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Samad Suliman, paediatrician Dr AQ Sayed and Patel & Suleman Audiologists, the event included a four-dimensional scan demonstration by the resident biokineticist, Ebrahim Meer.
An epilepsy public education and awareness programme in February featured interactive presentations by resident neurologist Dr Ashleigh Bhanjan and paediatric neurologist Dr Yavini Reddy.
Nadesan said the hospital’s forthcoming public heath expo was aimed at engaging people and experts in the medical fraternity in celebrating its first birthday.
The expo takes place on Saturday, April 21 from 9am to 1pm and will include free screenings by the Heart and Stroke Foundation covering blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels, and body mass index screening.
Exhibition space will also be offered outside the main lobby and in waiting areas on the ground floor, said Nadesan.
For further information, call 031 492 3400 or e-mail info@ahmedalkadi.com
ABOUT THE HOSPITAL
The Ahmed Al-kadi Private Hospital is located off the N3 Highway at the corner of the King Cetshwayo Highway (M13) and Waterfall Road at the top end of Mayville.
Its medical facilities include 163 beds, a 24-hour hour emergency department, four operating theatres and surgical wards, high care and intensive care units, labour, maternity and paediatric wards, a radiology department and a neo-natal intensive care unit.
In addition to general and emergency surgery, it offers a variety of specialised medical services including oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, nephrology, dentistry and dermatology, ear, nose and throat surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, plastic surgery, psychiatry, opthalmology, pulmonology, rheumatology, urology, vascular surgery, gall bladder surgery, orthopaedic spinal surgery and a hernia centre of excellence.