The North West Department of Health on Tuesday (26/3) announced the province's first implant of a heart device was conducted successfully at the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Hospital based in the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex.

A team of physicians implanted a pacemaker at the newly refurbished Catheterisation Laboratory (*Cath Lab).

The North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, said this procedure was performed for the first time, and conducted on a patient who had been admitted to the Orthopaedic ward with a neck or femur fracture, which resulted from falling and left the patient unconscious.

The Tshepong Hospital’s management was acknowledged for embracing new technologies that improve healthcare outcomes.

Lekgethwane said this pioneering surgery, led by a seasoned cardiologist  Dr Zachariah, marks a new era in treating heart rates which drop below forty beats per minute (40/pm).

As a result, the MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, acknowledged the hospital's management for embracing new technologies that improve healthcare outcomes.

Sambatha said the patient who benefited from the procedure was faced with severe limitations to his physical capabilities and his quality of life would have been compromised, had he not undergone the surgery.

The Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Thulani Madonsela, has thanked the entire team initiated into action to carry out the procedure. Photo supplied

The surgical procedure was conducted amidst training for physicians in the newly built Cath Lab. Another round of training for physicians to perform Coronary, Angiogram and Stent Implantation is scheduled for April 2024.

“The implementation of the latest cardiac pacing technology in a hospital in the North West, not only signifies a leap in medical capabilities within the province but also highlights the dynamic landscape of medical capabilities in our public health institutions,” said Sambatha.

*A Catheterisation Laboratory, or Cath Lab, is a specialised examination room in a hospital or clinic. It’s equipped with advanced diagnostic imaging equipment, that is primarily used to visualise the arteries and chambers of the heart. This allows medical professionals to detect and treat any found stenosis (narrowing of blood vessels) or other heart abnormalities. It’s an essential part of modern healthcare, contributing significantly to the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.

OFM News/Joba Matsheng