Letter | Thank you for wonderful care at state hospitals

I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the tremendous care that I have experienced in the past nine months in the hands of Livingstone Hospital, Humansdorp Hospital and Pellsrus Clinic. On June 12 last year I fell off my bicycle in Jeffreys Bay, hitting the ground with such force that I broke both my left and my right radius bones, the smaller scaphoid bone in my left hand and my right collarbone. I’m not sure how long I lay next to my bike before someone from Smart Security was there to assist. In no time the ambulance was there and then I was being wheeled into Humansdorp Hospital. The care I received over the next nine months till now has been extraordinary. For this care I thank my Heavenly Father and his angels who are at work in our hospitals. Since my wife and I have settled in Jeffreys Bay we have had to let go of our medical aid, which has left us feeling rather vulnerable and in the hands of government hospitals. As much as I admit going to a state hospital is in no way comparable to private care, I am impressed with the levels of dedication and corporate cohesion. In these nine months my wife and I have visited Humansdorp and Livingstone hospitals about 16 times, we saw a doctor each times and had as many X-rays.

Although it has been hard to queue for everything, we have found that if we were able to exercise patience, respect and consideration for others, we always received the help we needed from the hard working professional doctors and nursing staff. One has to keep in mind the staff work under incredible pressure with all sorts of people making constant demands on their time. On February 18 I was admitted to Livingstone and spent five nights there. I underwent a corrective radial osteotomy, which means they take some bone from your hip and lengthen the radius with the help of some stainless steel plates and screws. We have only heard good reports from others concerning a Dr Theunisen, who was my surgeon, but we can confirm his work as exceptional attention to detail and personal care. One wonders how he and other doctors can do this all the time with the massive pressure they are under. To thank the doctors and staff of Livingstone Hospital feels too little to express the gratitude we feel. I have made it a point to pray for our medical facilities and the people who run them. All these amazing people who make our hospitals work, you are angels, thank you one and all.