Life Hilton Private Hospital
Life Hilton Private Hospital , the KwaZulu- Natal Midlands ’ newest hospital , opened in September 2015 as a 94-bed multidisciplinary hospital in Hilton , just outside Pietermaritzburg . It brought five operating theatres and over 40 associated resident specialists , as well as a 24-hour emergency unit to Midlands residents ’ doorstep . It has enabled easy access for local patients to advanced treatment , including much-needed service offerings such as radiotherapy and renal dialysis . Towards the end of 2016 , the hospital further enhanced its services to patients with the installation of the Novalis Tx™ Stereotactic RadioSurgery ( SRS ) unit at the hospital , enabling treatment for previously untreatable cancers . This high-tech machine , previously only available overseas , provides advanced radiation therapy to cancer patients with difficultto-reach tumours . It shapes a radiation beam precisely to a patient ’ s tumour , ensuring that the best possible treatment dose is delivered while protecting healthy tissue . The unit rotates around the patient to deliver treatment beams anywhere in the body from virtually any angle , and adapts to the patient ’ s breathing and other body movements to continuously maintain safe , complete and accurate treatment . It offers a fast treatment session and gives new hope to patients with tumours that were once considered untreatable . The facility is backed by the support of 10 oncologists from the KZN region . “ The most advanced technology , together with our experienced , internationally trained and caring radiotherapy team ensures that patients receive the best treatment available ,”
18 | Issue 2 | Capital
says Dr Ziad Seedat , oncologist at Life Hilton Private Hospital ’ s radiotherapy unit . “ We are privileged at Life Hilton Private Hospital to have such a team of cancer specialists .” The opening of Life Hilton Private Hospital has ensured that residents in this area of KZN now have less distance to travel and experience shorter waiting times when receiving top-quality care . The facilities available today at the 94-bed Life Hilton Private Hospital include :
• Five fully equipped theatres where intricate orthopaedic surgery , such as knee and hip replacements , can be performed in state-of-the-art laminar flow theatres
• A six-bed intensive care unit
• A six-bed high care unit
• A five-bed neonatal ICU
• A maternity and paediatric unit
• A 24-hour accident and emergency unit
• An eight-station renal dialysis unit
• A radiology unit with CT scanner , MRI scanner and x-ray facilities , and
• A radiotherapy unit . Life Healthcare is one of South Africa ’ s largest private hospital groups . It employs 15 200 permanent staff who provide healthcare services of exceptional quality through its extensive network of 64 healthcare facilities situated throughout South Africa . Life Hilton Private Hospital is one of seven Life Healthcare Group hospitals within KwaZulu-Natal . The Group ’ s primary business is private acute hospital care as well as providing services for acute physical rehabilitation , acute mental healthcare and renal dialysis . For more info visit www . lifehealthcare . co . za
What is stereotactic radiosurgery ?
Stereotactic radiosurgery ( SRS ) is a highly precise form of radiation therapy initially developed to treat small brain tumours . It is now being used to treat body tumours with a procedure known as stereotactic body radiotherapy ( SBRT ). Radiosurgery , despite its name , is a treatment and not a surgical procedure . No incisions are made to the body and patients usually return home immediately after the treatment with limited discomfort . SRS commonly refers to a one-day treatment , although physicians sometimes recommend multiple stereotactic-delivered treatments in a procedure that is called “ fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy ” ( SRT ). This typically means the delivery of two to five treatments of focused radiation . The goal with this treatment is to deliver doses that will destroy a tumour and achieve permanent local control . The treatment is only possible due to the development of highly advanced radiation technologies that permit the maximum radiation dose delivery to the target area while minimizing the dose to surrounding healthy tissue . The high radiation doses and high precision needed for this treatment mean that diagnostic imaging tools are imperative to confirm the location of a tumour immediately before , and in some cases even during , the delivery of radiation .