New hospital to ease overcrowding, says MEC

A NEW provincial hospital is on the cards for the south of Durban to alleviate overcrowding at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi.

Members of the KwaZuluNatal health portfolio committee supported MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo this week when he presented the idea of the hospital at the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg.

Dhlomo said Prince Mshiyeni Hospital was struggling to cope with about 39 000 patients each month.

“The worst that happens is when Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital has to take over all patients that are seen at municipal clinics when all 59 of them close at 4pm.

“That facility is always overcrowded, day and night. We really need to look into the feasibility of building a new hospital to serve these communities,” said Dhlomo.

The new hospital would serve the communities of Folweni, Mbumbulu, KwaMakhutha, Illovo and Isipingo, while Prince Mshiyeni Hospital would deal with residents from Umlazi.

“The average number of babies delivered in the (old) hospital is 1 150 a month,” said Dhlomo.

The idea of a new hospital first arose during the construction of the Pixley ka Seme Hospital in KwaMashu, which was developed to ease the overcrowding at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix.