R84m investment transforms Border-Kei hospital facilities

LIFE Healthcare is investing some R84-million in their facilities in the Borderregion with expansions taking place at most of its hospitals.

Eastern Cape regional manager Bruce Janssens said: “The provision of world-class, quality healthcare remains a key focus area for Life Healthcare in the Border-Kei region.”

The Dispatch visited some of the East Londonbased facilities currently being upgraded.

Work is under way at Life St Marks Clinic which is being expanded by a further 16 beds.

Currently the mental health facility has 60 beds, and Janssens said R4.2million was put aside for the expansion expected to be completed in October.

The new unit will isolate male and female wards and link directly to the older structure.

Construction at the new intensive care unit (ICU) at Life East London Private Hospital is near completion. When the Dispatch team visited the hospital, manager Fabion Bennett showed off the world-class unit.

Bennett said the hospital previously had a seven-bed ICU. However, the new unit being built where the old cardiac unit used to be will have 12 beds and also should be completed at the beginning of October.

He said the construction of the new unit would result in an additional 10 jobs in the ICU.

“This is the second stateofunit in this facility. The first is the renal dialysis unit upstairs,” Bennett said.

“The unit cost R11-million,” he said.

Other facilities currently undergoing upgrades and expansions include:

● Life St Dominic’s Hospital with R18-million being put aside for the construction of a new ICU;

● Life Rehabilitation at Life St Dominic’s Hospital recently received an on-site hydro-therapy pool to the tune of R3-million;

● Life College of Learning is being moved to a new hitech nursing facility, which cost the group R1.2-million;

● Life Queenstown Private Hospital is busy planning a new 10-bed paediatric unit, as well as extending the general ward by 10-beds, the cost of which has not yet been determined. However, in the past three years the group has invested R22-million in that facility through renovations and upgrades; and

● Life St Mary’s Private Hospital in Mthatha has seen major work in the past four years.

“Since 2014, we have spent R25-million on upgrading and renovating the hospital,” Janssens said.

“This project has included a new accident and emergency unit, the relocation of the labour wards, a complete renovation of the medical wards and new reception area.” —