The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has upgraded units within the Alexandra Community Health Centre that deals with emergency and rehabilitation services for road accident victims.
Addressing the handover event of the state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre in Gauteng, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the renovated rehabilitation centre and the emergency unit is expected to restore the dignity of citizens, and aims to bridge the inequality gap in the quality of service and standard of institutions built for public health care.
The major structural refurbishments include renovations and provision of medical equipment for both facilities.
“The upgrade of these facilities will enable the realisation of a shared value, where the RAF, the Clinic and beneficiaries will derive benefits. It is well established that the victim’s chances of survival are greatest if they receive care within a short period after a severe injury, this is popularly known as the Golden Hour rule,” the Minister said on Friday in Johannesburg.
The Accident and Emergency Centre is a 24-hour facility that caters mainly emergency medical care.
“Statistics show that admission of pedestrians are consistently higher than driver and passenger admissions in all four quarters, indicating that pedestrian accidents are more frequent or result in more severe injuries in the community.
“A total of 1 742 patients were attended and treated in the Masakhane Clinic Accident and Emergency Centre during the 2022 -2023 from April 2022 to March 2023.
“These statistics emphasize the importance of road safety measures and awareness campaigns, especially in the periods when accidents are more prevalent. Ensuring that drivers and pedestrians are well-informed about road safety can help reduce the number of accidents,” Chikunga said.
The RAF will assist survivors on their journey of recovery, assisting them to re- imagine and rebuild their lives in society
“The experience of being involved in an accident leaves many emotionally, physically and financially vulnerable. It is at this time that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) holds their hands along the journey of recovery. In addition, such a mandate of rehabilitation cannot be possible without the partnership of the RAF and the health center.
“Hence, the RAF took it upon themselves to include as part of their strategic goals to assist the renovations of units within health care clinics that deals with emergency and rehabilitation services,” Chikunga said.
She said the project was implemented in partnership with the South African Medical & Education Foundation, a local NGO that undertakes high impact community development projects.
The sole aim is improving healthcare and educational facilities in poverty-stricken communities.
“The RAF in partnership with the implementing NGO employed a community and local resource-based approach. As a result, RAF transferred skills and created about 35 temporary jobs as all workforce was sourced locally through organized community structures.
“Of these 35 people employed in this project, 15 are skilled, 20 unskilled and eight are women. More than 70% of supplies was sourced locally and empowered nine local SMME’s from across Greater Alexandra Local Municipality.
“The RAF was intentional in ensuring that the community of Alexandra was directly involved and participated fully by taking ownership of this development initiative,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za