Mediclinic Southern Africa has nine day clinics all over South Africa, but opened the Winelands Day Clinic which is Stellenbosch’s first orthopaedic and rheumatology day clinic, on 14 June 2021.
The Winelands Day Clinic, being the first of its kind in Stellenbosch, focuses specifically on same-day orthopaedic and rheumatology surgery. The drive behind opening the day clinic was to remove the pressure that is on the hospital’s main theatre facilities, according to Willie Kruger, the operations executive for Mediclinic Southern Africa.
The new Winelands Day Clinic is situated at the Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital in Die Boord, Stellenbosch. “We truly believe that this day clinic will provide the Stellenbosch and broader Cape community with greater access to safe, stream-lined private orthopaedic care,” said Carol van Zyl, the hospital general manager of Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital. PHOTO: Marianne Francis Stewart
The Mediclinic Day Clinic, which opened its doors in June 2019, was the first day clinic in Stellenbosch. “Mediclinic Winelands Day Clinic, however, will be focusing on orthopaedic surgery while the other Stellenbosch facility accepts cases such as tonsillectomies, scopes, dental work and many other procedures,” said Carol van Zyl, hospital general manager of Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital, in a written reply to MatieMedia.
The day clinic is the ideal environment for minimally invasive hand surgery operations like small hand joint replacements or wrist arthroscopies, said Dr Ajmal Ikram, an orthopaedic surgeon at the clinic. Ikram specialises in hand and wrist surgery.
“[The clinic] has been created out of existing structures of the hospital allocated for this purpose,” Van Zyl said. The clinic is on the same premises as that of the Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital in Die Boord, she added.
Mediclinic Winelands Day Clinic’s facilities
“The ongoing partnership between the hospital and the Institute of Orthopaedics and Rheumatology (IOR) will continue,” says Van Zyl. The IOR is a specialised centre at the Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital, which focuses on innovative surgery, training opportunities and ensuring specialised patient care, according to the Mediclinic website.
The Mediclinic Winelands Day Clinic includes a fully equipped theatre where scopes and infusions can be done. The clinic has a cubicle design that allows patients to recover in privacy before they get discharged, said Van Zyl.
The recovery ward with curtain dividers will enable patients to recover in privacy. The patients will still receive the same quality care that is synonymous with Mediclinic, said Carol van Zyl, hospital general manager of Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital. PHOTO: Supplied/Mediclinic
The clinic’s capacity depends on the type of procedures that are booked for the day. “A short procedure, such as hand surgery, may allow for about 10 cases per day. However, longer cases such as shoulder surgery could allow for about 5 or 6 cases per day,” according to Van Zyl.
Even though the patients will be discharged on the day of their operations, “doctors will still be involved in thorough pre-operative assessments to eliminate risks and complications for the patients during and after surgical or medical procedures,” said Pieter Lotz, Mediclinic Southern Africa’s operations manager of Day Clinics.