NEWS AND EVENTS
PIONEERING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES MAKE SURGERY SAFER, FASTER AND LESS PAINFUL
 As groundbreaking advances and developments revolutionise almost every medical and surgical discipline, specialist surgeons at UCT Private Academic Hospital are continually embracing new medical technology to make surgery safer, faster and less painful for patients.
Surgeons working at the hospital say they ‘cannot imagine’ doing without the sophisticated modern equipment used to diagnose and treat medical conditions.
Using revolutionary new approaches to surgery has greatly benefited patients because it is far less traumatic and painful. It also dramatically shortens the recovery time, according to Professors Jake Krige and Flip Bornman, who perform complex gastrointestinal and liver surgery at UCT Hospital.
For example, they point out that laparoscopy operations (also known as keyhole surgery), have replaced most abdominal operations that were done in the past using conventional open surgery.
‘With the help of a tiny camera that projects a magnified image of the area onto a TV monitor, laparoscopy enables us to perform extremely accurate surgery inside the body by working through four or five small incisions measuring between 5 and 10mm,’ they explain.
But surgeons stress that laparoscopic operations are only one aspect of what is known as ‘minimal access surgery.’
Similar diagnostic and treatment procedures can be done in the gastro-intestinal tract by inserting endoscopes (a thin flexible tube instrument attached to a microchip camera) into the body’s natural orifices.
Many other parts of the body can also be reached using advanced radiology techniques via small incisions.
UCT hospital, an innovative joint venture between the University of Cape Town and the private health sector, is the only public/private hospital of its kind in the Western Cape. This unique hospital is staffed by experienced medical academic specialists from UCT Medical School.
 |
WHY THE
DAISY…
From: Riel Du Toit (CEO 2002)
The story
behind the Daisy in our logo
“When I came here the first time to look at the hospital and to negotiate with UCT and the doctors about the possibility of purchasing it from Rhone Klinikum, it was August. I was about 30 minutes early for my meeting and walked around a bit.
On the traffic island across the main gate, I found a small bush with four or five – what looked to me as very unseasonal – yellow flowers.
I picked one and put it in my shirt pocket for good luck. It stayed there until the negotiations were finalised and I purchased the hospital.
It was a good luck flower and when we modified the hospital’s existing logo it felt right to incorporate the daisy in this exciting new innovation in private health care.”
Not just a pretty
flower
The daisy that forms part of the UCT Hospital logo symbolises friendliness, cheerfulness, and warmth.
Since our aim is to put our patients first, we strive to live up to our name, “the hospital with heart” by offering patients high quality patient-centred health care in a warm and welcoming environment.
In addition the daisy represents freshness and innovation in our approach towards health care. UCT Hospital, a joint venture between the University of Cape Town and the private sector, is the only new-generation hospital of its kind in the Western Cape.
Visitors to our hospital will usually see daisies floating in clear water bowls. It is also used in the hospital’s marketing material and on other branded items wherever possible.
Promising Developments
UCTPAH is now in its 6th year and has added many valuable services to its disciplines, like:
- A brand new Kidney & Dialysis Centre
The Kidney & Dialysis Centre is operated by Fresenius Medical Care. This centre is under the directorship of Prof Charles Swanepoel. He is assisted by Dr Zunaid Barday. Both are registered in the sub-speciality of nephrology, with the Health Professional Council of South Africa.
- A specialist Thyroid and Pituitary clinic
Effective management of thyroid and pituitary disorders is often dependant on the experience and skill of the attending doctors. Both these clinics are staffed by academic doctors from Groote Schuur Hospital that have collectively accumulated vast experience in the modern management of thyroid and pituitary disease.
|
