Trend of surgical admisions in Pholosong Hospital from 2006 to 2008

Injuries contribute significantly to South Africa's quadruple burden of disease. In keeping with these national trends, there is a considerable demand for surgical admissions at the Pholosong Hospital. The reasons for this utilization have not been well documented. The assumption is that trauma related conditions are the major contributing factors. Prioritization of emergency surgical conditions over the non-emergency surgical conditions are seen as a result with the latter having the possibility of developing into emergencies at a later stage. There has not been any systematic evaluation or research of surgical hospital admission information so as to make informed decisions around better planning and resource allocation. Most local surveys have focused mainly on medical ward admissions. The hospital management of Pholosong Hospital was particularly concerned with the number of surgical admissions.