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Manto leaves hospital
27/10/2006 19:46 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was discharged from Johannesburg General Hospital on Friday afternoon.
"I am very glad that I have been discharged today after being in hospital for the past three weeks," the minister said in a statement.
"I would like to express my appreciation to all staff at the hospital. When I was admitted, I was very ill. My gratitude goes to Professor Jeff Wing and his team for managing my condition in a professional manner."
Tshabalala-Msimang was admitted to the hospital's Folateng private wing on October 5.
She was treated for a respiratory infection.
Waited for full recovery
"I know that many of you have been enquiring about why I have remained in hospital for this long. I should have been discharged last week as I had recovered from the respiratory infection," said Tshabalala-Msimang.
"However, in consultation with the medical team attending to me, we agreed that I remain in hospital until today (Friday) to allow for my full recovery. This included a couple of physiotherapy sessions."
She hoped that the team attending to her during the past three weeks will render the same quality of care to all other patients.
She said Folateng section was established to raise funds from medical aid patients and use it to upgrade the rest of the hospital.
"Therefore, I hope the payment for my admission to this hospital will contribute to this effort."
She encouraged medical aid patients to use government health facilities and pay for the care received.
Last year the private health sector spent R43bn in servicing only about 15% of the population, while the State used R33.2bn to care for the rest of the population.
"The public health sector is the main loser in the current spending pattern as public hospitals have to absorb all those patients who most often exhaust their medical aid benefits in the private health sector.
"I believe that this situation has to be reversed by, amongst other things, encouraging medical aid patients to use government health facilities," the minister said.
She said she was grateful to everyone who had sent her messages of support and who had wished well on her birthday.
- SAPA
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