Karl Bremer Hospital

Karl Bremer Hospital is a hospital, situated in Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. It was opened in 1956 with one ward.[1] It was originally an academic hospital for medical students of Stellenbosch University and was utilised for this purpose until 1976, after which it changed to a hospital catering for private patients.[1][2]

Karl Bremer Hospital
Western Cape Department of Health
Karl Bremer Hospital 2018
Geography
Location	Bellvile West, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Coordinates	33.8916°S 18.6079°E / -33.8916; 18.6079
Organisation
Care system	Department of Health
Funding	Public hospital
Type	District
Services
Emergency department	Emergency trauma unit
History
Opened	1956
Links
Other links	Tygerberg Hospital, Groote Schuur Hospital

Namesake

The hospital is named after Dr Karl Bremer (b.27 April 1885, d. 18 July 1953).[3][4] Bremer was a Medical Doctor, a Minister of Health in DF Malan’s Cabinet and Vice-chancellor of the Stellenbosch University.

Changes and events through the years

In 1957 the Cape Provincial Administrator, PJ Oliver announced that “Non-European” nurses may receive practical training in the hospital. South Africa was in 1956 a country with race segregation.[5] By 1958 a pathology section was create under Prof HW Weber.[6] The Neurosurgery specialist unit was developed under Dr AP Rose-Innes in 1972.[7] The academic classification was taken away in 1976 and the hospital catered for private patients. An oncology centre was created under Dr Leon Gouws.[8] in 1990, however in 2011 it moved to the suburb Panorama. Karl Bremer hospital status changed to a secondary hospital for government patients in 1996. The hospital has its own Pharmacy. In 2007 the University of the Western Cape started to use the hospital as part of their undergraduate service learning in Pharmacy. This applied to their pharmacy students.[9] The status of the hospital changed in 2009 to become a district hospital status. An emergency section was built in 2013. This emergency section won them the Socio-Economic Pilot award.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

On 3 December 1967, while Christiaan Barnard was performing the world’s first heart transplant in Groote Schuur Hospital, the heart donor,Denise Darvall also donated her kidneys and they were transplanted in Karl Bremer Hospital.[18][19]

The South African Government used Karl Bremer hospital as a medical treatment centre for captured political activists (which were opposed to the Ruling party). This was done in a secret way, so that these activists could not be identified. One example is Robert Sobukwe who had an operation on his prostate on 1 February 1967 in the hospital.[20]

Accreditation

The hospital fulfils its States obligation to provide HIV, AIDS and TB-related treatment. HIV counselling is done. The hospital is an accredited antiretroviral (ARV) treatment institution.[21]

References

1. "Karl Bremer Hospital". Retrieved 11 April 2018.
2. Die Burger, Newspaper 7 December 1955
3. "Dr Karl Bremer Minister of Health in Dr Malan's cabinet. is born in Hopefield". Retrieved 11 April 2018.
4. Encyclopaedia: Afrikaanse kinderensiklopedia, publisher: Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, second revised edition, Place printed: Elsiesrivier, 1972, Editor Dr. C F Albertyn etal, volume 10, page 192
5. "University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg History workshop" (PDF). Retrieved 11 April 2018.
6. "History department of Pathology" (PDF). Retrieved 11 April 2018.
7. "History of the division of Neurosurgery" (PDF). Retrieved 11 April 2018.
8. "Cancercare". Retrieved 11 April 2018./
9. DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A MODEL FOR SERVICE LEARNING IN PHARMACY (SLIP) AT A TERTIARY HOSPITAL By Mariam B. Parker, May 2009, p 145
10. "Karl Bremer Hospital receives two awards". Retrieved 16 April 2018.
11. "Emergency ward Karl Bremer". Retrieved 11 April 2018.
12. Book: 50 years on the Cape Flats : a history - Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University; Karl Bremer Hospital; Tygerberg Hospital. Author; Brink AJ, Dreyer WP. Publisher: Stellenbosch University, Year:2006. ISBN No: 13 978-0-620-37739-3
13. Bickford-Smith, V, van Heyningen, E, Worden, N. "Cape Town in the Twentieth Century: An Illustrated Social History ISBN NO 0-86486-384-5". Retrieved 16 April 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. Versveld S, de v Basson M M, Oosthuizen A H. "The South African Medical Journal, Vol 7, No 8, 2017 A retrospective study evaluating the efficacy of identification and management of sepsis at a district-level hospital internal medicine department in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, in comparison with the guidelines stipulated in the 2012 Surviv". Retrieved 16 April 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. "Teaching sites - Karl Bremer Hospital". Retrieved 27 April 2018.
16. "Air Ambulance Services South Africa Karl Bremer Hospital". Retrieved 27 April 2018.
17. "Karl Bremer Hospital". Retrieved 27 April 2018.
18. Morris M. "Historic transplant proudly remembered (Newspaper Weekend Argus 2 December 2017 )". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
19. "Operating Theatres". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
20. "Black Consciousness And White Liberals In South Africa: Paradoxical Anti-Apartheid Politics, By Maimela, M R, December 1999" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2018.
21. "Karl Bremer Hospital". Retrieved 11 April 2018.

Other

"Theatre nurses qualify at Karl Bremer". Retrieved 17 April 2018.