The Club is home to a new landmark in Atterbury’s portfolio: Club Surgical Centre. This state-of-the-art day hospital focuses on specialised surgical modalities and offers cutting-edge treatment in skin cancer, cosmetic surgery, ear-, nose and throat, and spinal surgery. We spoke to the partners and founders of CSC, Dr Japie de Wet and Dr Pieter du Plessis, on the origin and vision of this project, which is a true asset to the community of Pretoria. 

Where did the idea of a specialised hospital come about?
JdW: As a doctor, you primarily focus on a career that is dedicated to the wellbeing of your patients. Sometimes you lose sight of the ultimate goal, of leaving behind a legacy. In 2012 Pieter and I were setting up a modern skin-cancer management programme, but we identified that we needed a custom facility that was tailored to the modern trends in day case surgery (procedures where patients are discharged the same day).

PdP: I returned from a fellowship in one of the leading micrographic skin-cancer units in the USA, armed with the knowledge and skills to pioneer the only multidisciplinary unit of this kind in South Africa. The fellowship was an eye opener in terms of world trends in day case surgery. We had the vision, but needed strategic partners to turn it into reality.

How did Atterbury become involved?
JdW: In reality, I believe that Louis van der Watt already recognized the opportunity long before I knocked on his door. His words still echo in my mind: he quite simply stated that Atterbury had the perfect site and together we would make it work…
Statutory applications and licenses followed and as the project gained momentum we realised that the demand stretched much wider than our respective fields. Day case surgery is becoming the norm in first world countries, with one out of three surgical procedures taking place in such units. In South Africa the current rate is about eight percent.

Tell us more about the building itself and what your requirements were?
JdW: The building is 4 800sqm, with ample open and basement parking. From the outset we wanted to incorporate the calming experience of a modern lounge, soothing the clinical hospital environment.
On the ground floor we will have a Dischem pharmacy in a new and exciting format. The consulting rooms are situated on the first and second floor. A state-of-the art radiology suite, with the first functional MRI scanner in South Africa, will be situated on the first floor. In a departure from conventional technology, a functional MRI scanner evaluates problem areas while a patient is standing or sitting.
Ampath pathologists will also be situated on the second floor and the top floor will comprise the day hospital. There are three key surgical specialities in our facility.

Who are the other doctors who will be part of the facility?
PdP: We were approached by two groups of specialists who identified the need for a similar niche facility in their respective fields. Doctors Nisius du Plessis, Jannie Kok, Kobus Venter and Janet Izeboud wanted to establish a Centre of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery. Similarly, Dr Louis Nel was keen to establish a unit for spinal day case surgery and together with Dr. Stefan Rawlins and Nivana Ramlachan, we sealed an alliance and that shaped the design and commissioning. In reality, this is completely the opposite route to the norm in the industry. Usually hospitals are built first and specialists only approached afterwards, which means that you end up providing your services in facilities that are not always optimally designed.

Aside from all of the above, is there anything else that sets Club Surgical Centre apart from what is on offer in Pretoria?
JdW: Each of the surgeons in our group is a pioneer, at the pinnacle of his or her career. This is truly a team to be proud of. We have learnt a lot of interesting lessons along the way; one of the most important being Atterbury’s own ethos – that it’s all about your associates…

One of the key questions that arises is the impact of such a small, ultra-specialised private unit in a public health-care setting overwhelmed by the needy and poor.

Again, I can state with pride that we are committed to training of enthusiastic and proficient surgeons in each of the specialties. We already have the coveted status as one of the only accredited training facilities, outside of the US, in mohs micrographic skin-cancer surgery. Not only will this centre be a landmark in Pretoria, but it will be a professional legacy, to the benefit of a multitude of patients across the spectrum.