Stanger hospital gets R128m facelift

THE highly “congested” Stanger Regional Hospital is undergoing a R128-million injection that will see it get a much needed facelift.

The project, which ends in July, was expected to create 150 jobs for the local community, the Public Works Department said yesterday.

Simphiwe Blose, of the department’s project management unit, said the facility was congested, although it was a referral hospital to two district hospitals, one community health centre and nine primary healthcare clinics in Groutville, Ntshaweni and Stanger.

Speaking at the provincial two-day quarterly MinMEC held at the Mayville Public Works Conference Centre yesterday, Blose said the facility would now cover all the medical requirements of women before, during and after childbirth.

MinMEC is a structure of the Public Works Minister and MECs from the nine provinces. They meet quarterly to discuss matters of mutual concern to Public Works.

It is a strategic and decision-making body which is headed by Minister Thulas Nxesi and his counterparts from the nine provinces.

“Currently the facility has 600 beds, of which 70 are in the existing maternity section. Monthly, 800 babies are born, and the structure is over 60 years old.

“It is very restricted, resulting in a compact vertical design solution being necessary.

“The project’s scope is, among other things, to provide two temporary psychiatric wards (one male and one female) in order to separate the psychiatric section from the maternity wards, which is currently not the case,” said Blose during his presentation.

Other additions to the hospital which will be completed by July, will be a multi-storied maternity facility (Blocks A and B) include theatres, maternity, neonatal and anti-natal wards, doctors consulting rooms and doctors over night rooms. On top of the new Block B a helipad will be constructed on the roof for emergency cases.