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Issue 11 Newsletter Date JULY 2012

TOWNHILL HOSPITAL P.O.BOX 400 PIETERMARITZBURG 3200 TEL: 033 341 5518 Fax: 033 394 2105 Email: themba.hlongwane2@kznhealth.gov.za

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Town Hill Hospital neurophysi-ology technologist Mrs Kashfi Roy (Nee Nunkumar)

Mrs Kashfi Roy started work-ing at Town Hill Hospital on the 1st of November 2012 as a neurophysiology technolo-gist. She did her clinical tech-nology studies at Wentworth hospital and also worked there as a neurophysiologist. Thereafter she studied holis-tic therapist at Camelot

international college in Durban. For the first time in the history of Town Hill hospital the need for a technologist was recognised and the post was created. Mrs Roy performs electro encephalograph (EEG) which is the useful tool to in the management of psychiatric pa-tients in any psychiatric institution. Before Mrs ray was employed our Mental Health Care Users used to be taken to fort Napier hospital for EEG which resulted in results be-ing delayed. Asked why she chose to study EEG out of all disciplines. She said that she likes to work with the peo-ple. She also said that she enjoys working here at Town hospital as she feels welcome by all staff across the board. Mrs Roy has got passion for her job as she regards her patients as part of her family as she interact with them on a daily basis. We hope that you will enjoy your stay.

WORDS OF WISDOM

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMME

OPERATION MANAGER MR D CHETTY CHECK-ING THE BP OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBER

On the 12th and 13 of June 2012 town hill hospi-tal took the services to the people. The hospital had a stand at greater Edendale mall.

Various services such as BP, Sugar testing and edu-cation on mental illness were offered. But the main objective of the outreach was to educate the members of the public about the rights of the elders. It is a common factor for the rights of the elders to be violated by their children and grandchildren. Most of the elders get government grant but sometimes that grant ends up being taken by their children. The members of the public were told that such practices are against the law and can lead to criminal charge. They were also told that If there is no one within the family to look after grandfather and grandmother the old age homes are there to accommodate such el-ders. It is true that in black culture to take an elder to such facility is regarded as abandonment. In fact such institutions give better care when compared to home care as most of the family members nowadays are working which keep them away from their households the whole day. The team for the outreach included registered nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational thera-pists. The hospital management believes that such initiatives will change the mind set of the public about treating elders with respect and dignity

MEET OUR NEW NEUROPHYSIOLOGY TECHNOLOGIST

“I HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST WHITE DOM-INATION AND I HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST BLACK DOMINATION. I HAVE CHERISHED THE IDEAL OF A DEMOCRATIC AND FREE SOCIETY IN WHICH ALL PERSONS WILL LEAVE TOGETHER IN HARMONY WITH EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES. IT IS AN IDEAL WHICH I HOPE TO LIVE FOR, AND TO SEE REALISED. BUT MY LORD, IF NEEDS BE IT IS AN IDEAL FOR WHICH I AM PREPARED TO DIE” - DR Nelson R Mandela (During Treason trial)

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TOWN HILL HOSPITAL TAKES SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE

From Left to Right: Mr Khanya Ngema, Hospital CEO Ms ZG Mfeka, community member and social worker Ms Zanele Mthembu educating the community member about mental illness

Town Hill Hospital team that took part in the door—door mental Illness and Substance Abuse awareness campaign together with Mrs Lungi Mkhize.

Town Hill Hospital had a Doo—Door Mental Health and Substance Abuse Awareness cam-paign on the 18th of July 2012 in order to educate the public. The campaign targeted residence of Oribi village where we had a warm welcome from the community who appreciated our efforts to ed-ucate them. This campaign was held in order to promote Men-tal Health and Substance Abuse Awareness month. But most importantly it coincided with the birthday of our Living Legend, Freedom Fighter, Peace Lover, Charismatic leader and Internation-al icon Dr Nelson Mandela. The team consisted of nurses, social workers and psychologists and it was led by the hospital CEO Ms ZG Mfeka and Provincial Deputy Manager for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Mrs Lungi Mkize from hospital Based and Forensic psychiat-ric Services directorate. During the campaign eighty seven households were visited and an average of about two hun-dred people were seen. The team was divided into five groups and each group consisted of five people. Amongst problems encountered by vari-ous teams were issues of defaulting of medication by Mental Health Care Users, Lapse of disability grants whilst a person is still a Mental Health Care User and drug and alcohol abuse resulting I do-mestic violence. After the campaign the teams were requested to

give feedback as to what transpired in the households they visited. Mrs Mkize and Ms Mfeka thanked all the staff members for their commitment and dedication and also urged them to continue engaging them-selves I such activities. They also highlighted that the challenges the teams encountered dur-ing the visits are common challenges faced by communities out there. Ms Mfeka also said that after this campaign a full comprehensive report should be compiled and an action plan be put in place to address issues identified. Lastly, the hospital management would like to thank Mrs Mkize for availing herself for the cam-paign. We have been in constant communica-tion with her during the preparation of this out-reach and she has guided us with her advices. Initially she was invited to come and brief the team about the importance of the campaign but she stated that she would be part of the entire campaign. Once again, from the PRO’s office I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the officials ranging from nurses, social workers and psy-chologists for their commitment under some dif-ficult conditions. Indeed you made a difference, Let us keep that togetherness for the sake of our patients

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TOWN HILL HOSPITAL OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY LIBRARY LAUNCH

Part of the occupational therapy library with some books to be used by the Mental Healthy Care Users

On the 18th of January 2012 the Occupational Therapy (OT) Library was launched at Town Hill Hospital. The OT library has been in the development phase for a while and has now been completed and opened to the Mental Health Care Users (MHCU’s) to use. The Library has been put together by the Community Services Occupa-tional Therapist over the past two years. The OT depart-ment has been privileged to have books donated by PMB Hospice, Liberty Mall Exclusive Books and various indi-viduals willing to support a worthy cause. The Occupa-tional Therapy Library was designed with the purpose of encouraging MHCU’s to engage in constructive use of leisure time. Many of MHCU’s admitted into Town Hill Hospital have a lack of constructive leisure participation , which often leads to substance abuse and other poor coping mechanisms. Leisure has several benefits includ-ing relaxation, as it renews energy & strength to meet the demands of life, Entertainment , as it stimulates intellec-tual capacities and imagination, personal development

the library and to educate the ward staff on the procedures involved in loaning books. There are times slots allocated for MHCU’s to go the library to borrow, return or renew books during the week. The launch was successful and the OT department is optimistic that the library service will be utilized by the MHCU’s of town Hill Hospi-tal

Through voluntary participation in so-cial and cultural life. Self improvement and the adoption of new disciplines. The launch of the library was held in order to promote reading by MHCU

OT staff Emily Bedenfield ( far right) in-side the OT therapy

The UMgungundlovu district manager Mrs Zuma Mkhonza, Mr L Lembede, hospital CEO Ms ZG Mfeka and Dr LM Mhlongo

On the 29th of February 2012 Mr Lembede official-ly received the certificate for being the champion in educating the people living with disability about their rights. The award was issued by the office of the Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize in order to acknowledge Mr Lembede for his commitment to assist people living with disability. Mr Lembede was educating them with all their rights as people who are living with disability. He was also advising them to form forums which will represent them. He also requested them to be part of the ward committee so that their voices can be heard by the executives. Mr Lembede is so passionate about people living with disability as he sometimes works during his leisure time to assist them. Town hill hospital management wishes to congrat-ulate him for the award he received. In our society we need people like him who makes difference within the community.

TOWN HILL HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE RECOGNISED

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TOBACCO AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

The PMBurg Regional Manager Ms Karen Rosenberg

As health employees we are ex-pected to be in the forefront in ed-ucating the public about the dan-ger of smoking. That is why Town Hill hospital had a tobacco aware-ness on the 6th of June 2012 in order to educate the employees about the danger of smoking. The PMBurg regional manager Ms Ka-ren Rosenberg had a presentation on different types of diseases that might be the result of smoking. She told the audience that it is not too late to quit smoking. She con-fessed that she was a heavy smoker but she took a decision to quit as she felt that her life condi-tion was starting to deteriorate. Ms Rosenberg urged the attendants to lead by example as they work for the health department. “It is not easy but it is up to individual to take that initiative and quit smok-ing. Besides health related issues one spends a lot of money buying cigarette instead of saving that money or using it on something that will benefit the entire family. I for one do not blame the govern-ment when it always raises the price of cigarette and alcohol as it does not benefit the nation but instead it kills it. I know smokers will disagree with me but it is a fact. It only benefits the nation through tax otherwise it destroys the nation. I remember when the

UNIQUE AND SPECIAL MARRIAGE It is true that marriage is the blessing from Almighty God and should be treated as such. Some people believe that the life span of any human being should go through three stages. The first one is when the baby is born ( birth), the second one is marriage and the last one is death. Most if not all people regard these three days as the most im-portant days of any human being. But unfortunately only the second stage one can be able to have a control over it. The rest depends on Almighty God. This is the only day amongst three you can be able to determine how it should look like, wedding day. It is for this reason that Mr Lembede had a very unique and special marriage when he married Thembekile Phun-gula who is the twin sister of Thuleleni Phungula who also married Mr Magic Mthethwa on the same day and same venue. By having such marriage they saved the bride’s family as they had to kill two birds with one stone. Mr Lembede said that he approached Mr Mthethwa to have such marriage and he did not have a problem with that. We wish you all the best in this life time commitment.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Sometimes diseases like , Cancer, Pulmonary and Cardi-ac are caused by smoking. It is for this reason that the depart-ment of health under the lead-ership of Dr Dhlomo encour-ages healthy life style to per-sons of this province and around SA. Anyone who wants to adopt the healthy life style should refrain from smoking as it has a detrimental effect on the life of any human being who smoke or are passive smokers. By smoking one is shortening his/her life span.

Some of the audience listening attentively during the tobacco awareness speech

Dr Dhlomo after his budget speech em-phasized that those who take ARVs but continue smoking are wasting the gov-ernment funds because the medication will not work. It is time that we as par-ents lead by example to our children and tell them that smoking does not benefit your health but instead it de-stroys it. It is up to us to make South Africa a smoking free country, but it all begins with you and me. It is not too late to quit smoking.

( At the back) the bride Ms Thembekile Phungula and next to her is the bridegroom Mr Mgcineni Lembede

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Firstly, let me start by saying that we are already on the half way mark of the year which means one should look back and check if he/she is on the right track in terms of achieving goals/objectives he/she set for her/himself this year. To accomplish the task you have set is not easy but it requires a lot of commitment and dedica-tion. What ever achievements we want to accomplish for ourselves but we must never forget to ask ourselves as to what contribution should I make in order to improve service delivery in the work place. I am raising this point precisely because work is our bread and butter. Of course, there is a perception that we are a money driven society, but sometimes money is not everything but if the recipient of the service says “thank you” that means everything . Our government is trying its level best to ensure that we are all benefitting in this democratic SA, irrespective of gender, colour, race or financial status. But that cannot be accomplished if we as public servants do not support the good pro-grammes of the government. Implementation of Batho Pele principles are the basic foundation of effective and efficient service delivery. This NHI project needs the commitment of all health care workers to support it. In fact we are the custodi-an of this project. If we do not put our weight behind it will never succeed.

President Jacob Zuma in his State of the nation address mentioned the so called “triple challenges” facing our coun-try, i.e. Inequality, poverty as well unemployment as the ma-jor threat to our democracy. How can one justify that in the same country there is a person who earns more half a Million Rands a month and the person who earns two to three thou-sands rands a month. In the same country we have got peo-ple who sleep on an empty stomach and living in a shack versus people who have got more than enough food and who possess houses worth millions of rands. A country with more than 25% unemployment rate. How do you justify that SA is the number one country with the highest unequal soci-ety in the world. These are all issues that our government is trying to address. It is not going to happen overnight, we must bear with our government and support it in its pro-grammes. Lastly, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Nkosazane Dlamini-Zuma for being the first women to be the chairperson of the commission of African Union. This victory manifests the importance of women across the globe that there is no position that should be reserved for men. This is the second highest position in Africa occupied by women. Firstly it was the Malawian President Joyce Ban-da. Hopefully, very soon we will have the woman United Na-tion secretary. Who knows? Mr RT Hlongwane Public Relations Officer

Dr Chris Ellis together with Emily planting the tree

A tree planting ceremony was held in the grounds of Town Hill Hospital in June 2012. Trees were donated by sister Barichievy and Corrie Poley who are both retiring and also by Maureen Salz-wedel from patient admin-istration as well as Emily Bedenfield who is moving to Durban.Natal Bottlebrush, sneezewood, saffron wood and river indingo were the indigenous trees that were planted alongside the main road to admin building. Dr Ellis would like to make a request that any one who wants to plant a tree on the hospital grounds in memory of his/her relative or patient to contact him.

From left to Right: Ms M Salz-wedel, Mrs C Poley, Dr C. Ellis Mrs C Barachievy and E Beden-field

THH TREE PLANTING PRO-GRAMME

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FAREWELL PARTIES

It is true that if there is a beginning, there will be an end . These are two opposite poles which are viewed as North and South. Under normal circumstances arrival is always the best part as compared to the departure. Let us make an exam-ple ,when a baby comes to this world. The entire family rejoices that moment as the day that will never be forgotten, in the same token when it is time to leave this world, it becomes the day one would like to forget very soon. The point I am trying to emphasize here is that whether you like it not, work place becomes our second home. This was self evidence when some of our valuable staff members said goodbye to the Town Hill Hospital family. Some of these peo-ple were retiring and some got some greener pastures somewhere else. The officials who were retiring were Mrs Bar-ichievy who was the Infection Control Practitioner, Mrs Poley who was working

at registry and nurse HB Sheik. The people who got greener pas-tures were Opereational Manager M Titi who is going to be the Assis-tant Manager Nursing at Umzim-khulu hospital Mr Z Dube and Mr Tapi who are going to be opera-tional managers at Umzimkhulu hospital too as well as Ms. Sha-balala who is going to the NGO. The hospital CEO Ms ZG Mfeka commended Mrs Barichievy, Mrs Poley and Nurse Sheik for their commitment and dedication they have displayed. She also urged them to continue playing part in some of the hospital activities like being part of the hospital board. She urged them because of their active role they had been playing in the hospital. She wished them all the best and urged them to con-tinue playing an active role in their community

“Surely, things will never be the same without you” says Ms Mfeka. She also made an ap-peal to other staff members to learn from people like Bar-ichievy who was part of so many committees and served with selfless dedication. Dr Chris Ellis who was the pro-gramme director thanked them for being the living example to the rest of the staff. Mrs Barichievy also thanked everyone for being part of the farewell and appreciated the time she has spent at Town Hill hospital. She confessed that she is going to miss the Town Hill Hospital family. She urged the staff to be dedicated and committed in their work.

Some of the operational manager during the farewell party for Mr Titi

The nursing management organized a party for Mr Titi ( Umhlekazi). Surprisingly he was taken out to RJ restaurant by the nursing management as well as opera-tional manag-ers. For me this was a very spe-cial kind of oc-casion since it was the first kind of this na-ture since I joined Town Hill hospital.

As if that was not good enough his ward (Peacehaven )also organized a farewell function to say goodbye to their father. On a personal note I must confess that Town Hill Hospital lost one of the most valuable asset. Umhlekazi is one of the operational managers you could rely on. His ward ( Peacehaven) used to support every activity that was taking place in the institution. Activities like international Nelson Mandela Day, Social responsibility pro-grammes (Food donations) peacehaven supported all those activities. I know this might sound bias, why only praising Mr Titi? It is just because Mr Titi is leaving and I am trying to some up his role as an operational manager. Surely he left a legacy here at Townhill hospital we all have to cherish. To some up everything we wish all these people all the best in their endeavours and hope they will continue to be ambassadors of Town Hill Hospital. This is the time to say “SKY IS THE LIMIT”. To those who are retiring we wish them all the best in their retirement. We are going to miss them a lot. May be I have to confess that Mrs Barichievy was one of the straight talkers, She does not beat around in the bush, if it is wrong it is wrong, simple as that.

Dr Ellis flanked by nurse Sheik and Mrs Poley as well as Mrs Barichievy

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TOWN HILLHOSPITAL SPORTS DAY FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH CARE USERS

The MHCU’s wearing some of the items made in OT groups to support their soccer team

On Wednesday 23 May 2012 we had our annual Soccer Day which was held for our Mental Health Care Users (MHUC’s) as part of their annual Therapeutic Events Programme on . This day turned out to be a great success with numerous positive feedback being received by staff members from various wards who es-corted MHCU’s to the event. OT staff were once again motivated to obtain further treats for the MHCU’s and thus carried out a fundraising initiative in April 2012 selling food to staff. The float-ing Trophy which was won by Hillside B ward at the gala was formal handed over to OT staff as part of the soccer day. The handover ceremony aroused great com-petitiveness and motivation by all the

wards who watched the ceremony and proved to be a great part of the soccer day programme. The winning ward for the soccer (Uitsig E/F) took the floating trophy. These special events are planned for our mental healthy care users in order to improve their quality of life and to facilitate appropriate social skills as part of their rehabilita-tion programme and therapeutic care, as well as to make their stay at Town Hill hospital as pleasant as possible. We hope that such events will keep our mental health care users occupied and this will reduce the rate of abscondment. It is a well known fact that some of the rea-sons for abscondment is that some of our MHCU’s feel bored which reminds them of life outside.

Impala H with their certificate winning the title of ‘Best Supporters of 2012’

Choose a Healthy Life Style and live healthy for the rest of your life

So, everyone’s back into the routine of life. I hope that includes making healthier lifestyle choice for an opti-mum mind, body and soul. All too of-ten we prioritise work and family re-sponsibilities and tend to neglect our health and wellbeing —sooner or later we are exhausted, stressed and sick. We all need to take a step back, and look at the bigger picture… remember you only given one body to live in, so you better take care of it — treat your body as the temple for your soul. You are what you eat. Eat well-balanced diet, including fruits and veg-etables. Avoid foods that are pro-cessed, high in saturate fats, salt and sugar. Drink eight to ten glasses of water daily to assist with digestion,

Absorption of nutrients and to elimi-nate toxins. Take a daily vitamin sup-plement, if you are not getting all your requirements from your diet. Avoid consuming excessive alcohol. A glass of wine a week is acceptable. Stop smoking. Keep your body active. Exercise for 30 minutes three times a week, for exam-ple daily walking and playing sport. Yoga, doing household chores, gar-dening and other physical activity is also recommended. Maintain a healthy weight and body mass index. This will reduce your risk of chronic illnesses. Have six to eight hours of sleep per day. This is when your body repairs itself and rejuvenates.

Seek medical care for early detection of illness and to prevent further com-plaints manage stress by listening to music, doing a hobby, meditation and exercise. Have a good support network of fam-ily and friends. Maintain a positive outlook on life and surround yourself with inspiring people. Be spiritual and religious, as this is food for the soul. Opting for healthier lifestyle will en-sure you live happier healthier and longer. By Dr Ridhima Sewram. Gen-eral practitioner, Mall Med, Lib-erty Midlands Mall.

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TOWN HILL HOSPITAL MEMBER TAKES PART IN THE COMRADES MARATHON

JR doing what he does best

Mr Narrainsamy Naidoo affection-ately known as JR is the man who is down to earth with soft voice. JR started running comrades mara-thon in 2003.He started at high school level to be an athlete but his dream was to run comrade marathon one day. He was initially sceptical about joining comrades marathon as he was not too sure whether he will be able to cope but he thanks Mr Smith Mark who mo-tivated him to join all the way. During his first comrade in 2003 he managed to finish it and then he never looked back. From 2003 to 2012 he obtained eight bronze and two bill Rowan medals. In 2012 it was a great achievement for him as he obtained his green number, which is a permanent number giv-en to athlete who complete ten comrades. JR also appreciate the support of his family especially his wife Pris-sy, his two children Thriveshan and Kemone, his brother Ravi, his friends as well as his colleagues at work who are always there for him all the way. “What I enjoy most about com-rades is that it brings people from all walks of life together irrespec-tive of race, gender colour” Says JR

He also thanked the MEC for Health Dr Dhlomo for encouraging health workers to participate in the marathon. He is also of the view that the department of health should form its own athletic club in order to encourage other health workers to join the comrades. I asked him how does he balances work, family responsibility and training. He said that it is all about time management, “ in everything that I do I always make sure that it does not take the time for my fami-ly, I also make sure that my train-ing schedule does not affect my work, in other words you must be able to strike a balance” he says. He also emphasized the im-portance of healthy diet which keeps his body healthy and fit. Prior to the marathon he ensures that he eats a lot of starchy food which gives him energy that will keep him all the way from Durban to PMBurg. I asked him the re-quirements of joining the com-rades marathon. He said that you have to be member of a registered

athletic club before joining the com-rades marathon. He also said that you must also be in a healthy condi-tion so that your heart and other supporting organs can be able to sustain the long distance. Asked if he wants to achieve any-thing by participating in the com-rades he said that his main objec-tive is to remain healthy, fit and to complete the marathon nothing else, anything other than that might be a bonus. He concluded by thanking MEC for Health Dr Dhlomo for organising some refreshments for all health workers who participated in the marathon as the token for apprecia-tion.. This means that the MEC rec-ognises them as they are the am-bassadors of the department of health

Mr Narrainsamy Naidoo (JR) to-gether with his lovely wife ( Priscilla Naidoo also known as Prissy) who is the operational Manager at Town Hill Hospital.

JR after finishing the comrade marathon