This project started out of the special need that patients and funder’s started to experience, being, the increasing cost of in hospital diagnostic procedures performed, especially gastroscopies and colonoscopies. Both of these diagnostic and sometimes, therapeutic procedures are extremely important in conducting sound and cost effective medical practice to make accurate diagnoses and apply the appropriate treatment and guidance to the patients, but due to cost were refused by the funder or patient when performed in hospital.
The problem is further complicated by the fact that some of these procedures are being performed outside of hospital, but in some rooms the quality and outcomes of these procedures are questionable to say the least, alarming funders and placing suspicion on all performing these procedures. So the task was to build a small private procedure room dedicated to these procedures, making patient safety, convenience and accessibility first priority as well as to create a flowing personnel working space in a relatively confined space. An old house that was used as a storage was slowly converted over 18 months and many last minute changes and headaches to accommodate what I thought would be the ideal small private procedure room, as learnt from my personal experience in performing these procedures in my consulting rooms for years. Funding was also an issue because you need at least two scopes for each procedure as well as a proper cleaning/sterilizing instrument to assure proper infection control.
With passion, family support and mercy from above the project was completed July 2016. The clinic is staffed by a surgeon, three qualified nursing sisters and two admin staff. It complies with all the safety regulations as required by the Anesthetic Society of South Africa regarding facilities for sedation outside hospital environment and based on the R158 requirements for a private procedure rooms as stipulated by the South-African Department of Health.