The Western Cape Department of Health is moving forward with its plans for ‘a raft of new facilities’, which includes the three mega projects, Cape {town} Etc reports.
This is despite a ‘severe cash crunch’.
This was revealed when the department briefed the provincial legislature’s Standing Committee on Health on Friday morning, in regards to its infrastructure plans for the 2024/25 financial year.
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The committee heard that three mega projects are in the pipeline, namely Klipfontein, Belhar, and New Tygerberg Central hospitals, as reported by News24.
Dr Laura Angeletti-du Toit, the department’s chief director of infrastructure and technical management, told MPLs the mega projects are ‘complex’.
‘We agreed that the time and cost are the two priorities for these mega projects,’ said Angeletti-du Toit.
Klipfontein Regional Hospital:
After the GF Jooste Hospital in Manenberg was decommissioned in 2013, plans ‘were afoot’ to rebuild the facility, but due to the demand in the community, there was also a need for a regional hospital.
The decision was made in 2015 to build a regional hospital on a much larger scale for the substructure, with Manenberg being selected as the preferred location.
Angeletti-du Toit stated that the old GF Jooste site was ‘not big enough’ to rebuild a regional hospital, so a new site was identified.
‘We identified a site that’s not as big as we would have liked. It’s 7.2 hectares, and it’s quite tight but larger than the old GF Jooste site,’ said Angeletti-du Toit.
The new hospital will service Athlone, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Manenberg, Mitchells Plain, and Philippi.
The site will be completed in 2033, with construction that will be carried out in three phases.
Belhar Regional Hospital:
While there are efforts by the department to ‘unbundle Tygerberg Hospital into two facilities’, the Belhar Regional Hospital is among those facilities.
The Belhar Regional Hospital will service the Tygerberg sub-structure, the Khayelitsha and eastern sub-structure, as well as the Stellenbosch sub-district.
Angeletti-du Toit stated that there was a need for a regional hospital to serve the metro’s ‘eastern communities’.
‘Residents have to travel far for services, so we identified this as a need. This is linked to the decommissioning of the Tygerberg facility so that we can separate the central and regional hospitals,’ said Angeletti-du Toit.
This project is also expected to be completed in 2033.
New Tygerberg Central Hospital:
In 2009, the department decided to redevelop Tygerberg Hospital, with the decision being supported by a 2005 report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The report indicated that the hospital was ‘nearing the end’ of its use and economic life and was no longer up to standard, in terms of delivering modern healthcare.
The department told the committee that the aim was to keep the current building functional until the new building was commissioned, while the old building was repurposed. The cost of the new building would be R11 billion.
‘We are trying to keep the hospital going from a service point of view. The new hospital will be a similar size to Groote Schuur Hospital,’ said Angeletti-du Toit.
Angeletti-du Toit told the committee they hope to start construction between 2028 and 2032.
‘Funding cuts from the national government also remain a threat. The Western Cape has persistently been short-changed in recent years due to the national government’s failure to adequately update the provincial equitable share formula to reflect the Western Cape’s rapidly expanding population,’ said Memory Booysen, chairperson of the committee.
‘In effect, this means that the Western Cape receives a vastly lower budget than it should. Sadly, until this issue is resolved, frontline service departments such as health and wellness are left to do more and more with less and less,’ Booysen added.
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Picture: Misha Jordaan / Gallo Images