Mediclinic opens new day clinics

Posted on 12 June 2015

Last week Mediclinic Southern Africa announced the rollout of the new Mediclinic Day Clinic strategy, which offers Mediclinic’s customary excellent private hospital care in a more streamlined and cost competitive format, without compromise to quality care. The rollout of Mediclinic Day Clinics (about two clinics per year over the next five years) will ensure greater access to the new streamlined service across the Mediclinic Southern Africa footprint.

‘With the interest of our patients at heart, we’ve embarked on a strategy to make Mediclinic’s trusted expertise even more accessible, while still providing the same uncompromised level of care,’ Koert Pretorius, CEO of Mediclinic Southern Africa, explains. ‘As far as possible we will develop these facilities on the same premises or within walking distance of the main Mediclinic hospital.’

So what does this mean? As it’s a day clinic, patients won’t be allowed to sleep over but if a need for additional acute care treatment or procedure arises that the Day Clinic isn’t equipped to provide, the patient will be transferred to a main Mediclinic hospital. While day clinics are able to be more focused, efficient and cost-effective for the patient, they are also able to provide the expert care and high clinical standards offered in all Mediclinic facilities. The clinics generally won’t operate after hours, over weekends and on public holidays.

According to Pieter Lotz, Mediclinic Southern Africa’s Operational Manager: Day Clinics, the day clinic concept satisfies the patient’s need for a convenient, efficient, and lean-cost facility, without compromising on clinical quality care. ‘Doctors will, for instance, still be involved in thorough pre-operative assessments to eliminate risks and complications for the patients during and after medical procedures,’ he assures. Day-case surgery refers to patients undergoing planned, non-emergency surgical procedures that are admitted and discharged on the day of surgery.

‘As simple, speedy and easy access will be the order of the day, patients will have the added advantage of knowing their exact date and time of admission, as well as expected theatre and discharge time. The client therefore experiences little or no waiting periods before and after surgery, because everything will be carefully pre-arranged,’ Pieter explains.

Some of the advantages to patients in need of day surgery include:
• Efficient processes, ease of admission and minimal forms to be completed
• Personal service by one or two staff members
• Short distances between service points
• Considerable cost saving for patients and their medical aid schemes

Mediclinic Durbanville Day Clinic is the first clinic in the Mediclinic portfolio that will focus exclusively on same day surgery. The facility, which is conveniently co-located on the premises of Mediclinic Durbanville, will predominantly serve people living in and around the northern suburbs of Cape Town. Mediclinic’s next day clinic will open its doors later this year in Polokwane, Limpopo.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.