Bloemcare, a private psychiatric hospital in the heart of the Free State, this year celebrates 25 years of providing exceptional healthcare and enriching countless lives.
A celebratory occasion on Monday, 15 July, signalled the continuation of the hospital’s commitment to empowering patients with hope, enabling them to cope with life’s challenges.
Bloemcare has over a quarter of a century transformed from a mere 32-bed sub-acute care centre into a state-of-the-art facility with 116 beds, as well as a 40-bed ward with fully-fledged dining room and recreational areas. A coffee shop and hair salon are also on the premises.
Elaborating on Bloemcare’s exceptional journey, Magueriet Botha, retired manager, attributes the success already achieved to patience and taking the right direction.
“In 1999 sub-acute care was still an unfamiliar concept, and people were not sure what it involved – but sub-acute care filled a definite gap in the continuum of care required for patients who, for example, had suffered a stroke or major trauma, or who had undergone surgery and recovered to an extent where they no longer needed to stay in hospital, but were not well enough yet to be taken care of at home,” says Botha.
“Sub-acute units were the answer to this problem. In addition, it was more cost effective for the medical aids because the day tariff for a patient in sub-acute care was much less than that charged by an acute hospital.”
Botha explains that initially Bloemcare did not plan to admit psychiatric patients. However, an opportunity was seized.
“When the psychiatric ward in Mediclinic closed, the psychiatrists that practiced there appealed to Bloemcare’s directors for help.
“As it happened, Bloemcare was in the position to offer them space for consultation rooms and a facility to admit their patients.
“As we started admitting more psychiatric patients, we came to realise that Bloemcare, with its big open spaces and lovely gardens, offered the ideal setting for the treatment of these patients.”
Botha explains the demand, which is in direct relation to Bloemcare’s growth, further increased when Mediclinic Bloemfontein closed its psychiatric ward – leaving the Free State, Northern Cape, North Eastern Cape and North West Province with no dedicated private psychiatric hospital beds.
“To add insult to injury, mental illness was becoming more prevalent as the illness of our time; this dilemma led to a situation where there were times when patients suffering from depression and anxiety had to be placed in a room with terminally ill cancer patients. Needless to say, this was not in the best interest of either patient.
“To meet the increasing demand for psychiatric beds, Bloemcare started to convert the under-utilised apartments on the first floor into five-bedroom wards.”
By 2005, Bloemcare had expanded to 70 beds. At this stage the majority of patients were psychiatric patients, and it became increasingly difficult to accommodate both sub-acute and psychiatric patients in the same facility.
Bloemcare was at a crossroads, and the decision was made to apply to the Department of Health to be registered as a psychiatric hospital.
“On 13 March 2007, Bloemcare officially became the first private psychiatric hospital in the Free State. An accomplishment of which we are very proud,” concludes Botha.
