Eikestad

Residents of Stellenbosch are in danger of having to travel to neighbouring towns, such as Somerset West or Cape Town, for emergency medical treatment. Some of the top doctors and surgeons are leaving Stellenbosch for other areas.

For instance, Dr Werner Hurter left recently and Dr Pieter Polderman may also leave soon.

No orthopaedic surgeons stay long in Stellenbosch because we, as a community, do not support them. How?ever, it is important for the well-being of the Stellenbosch community that there are sufficient surgeons to undertake after hours work.

Should this not be the

case, the few remaining surgeons will be over-bur?dened, especially with emergency and after hours work, and may also consider departing.

If residents do not support local sur?geons but rather go to surgeons outside Stellenbosch, then the community will pay the price when it comes to emergency treatment.

The Stellenbosch Medi-Clinic needs to make an effort to improve conditions for our surgeons, and general practitioners in Stellenbosch need to reassess their patient referrals.

Losing Dr Polderman to the Eastern Cape will be an enormous loss. He has an outstanding track record and I have yet to see a dissatisfied patient on whom he has operated.