MBOMBELA – The local private-hospital industry will never be the same, following the acquisition of Lowveld Hospital by Busamed, effective from the beginning of this month.

Last Thursday the hospital hosted a cocktail party to celebrate this with new management, staff and the public.
Busamed is a proudly South African-owned company which owns seven hospitals in the country.

READ: Patients pick Lowveld Hospital as the best – again

With the addition of Lowveld Hospital to its stable, four of Busamed’s health centres are ranked among the best
20 hospitals in the country, as chosen by Discovery Health patients.

Busamed CEO, Dr Diliza Mji said he was excited about the future of Busamed Lowveld Private Hospital.
“Lowveld Hospital has built an extremely close and special relationship with the community and care will be taken to foster and cement this relationship,” he said.

Last year alone, the hospital ploughed back into the community by doing pro bono work of R600 000 for underprivileged patients.

Lowveld Hospital chairman, Dr Attie van Wyk thanked CEO, Armand van der Merwe for the journey from opening Lowveld Day Hospital with two theatres, 13 beds and 10 staff members in 2000.

Van der Merwe has seen to the premises expanding, becoming a fully-fledged 50-bed surgical hospital, Lowveld Hospital, in 2012.

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“Every staff member bought into our programme, where every patient’s care is measured. Communication is paramount. It is now second nature for them.”

He added that it was immediately clear to both him and Van Der Merwe that Mji shared this passion. “(We) realised we had found a partner with the same ethos: Patient care is paramount (and) you care for your doctors and staff.”
Mji also announced the exciting news that Busamed Lowveld Private Hospital will soon be expanding to be able to offer even more patients its superb service.

The hospital has obtained a license for additional hospital beds and plans are underway for a brand-new 150-bed premises. Construction is set to start soon.
“This hospital will provide a full range of facilities, including an emergency room, a maternity ward, intensive-care beds and a modern radiology unit,” Mji stated. Another major exciting project is the establishment of a 25-bed day hospital.

“There is a huge drive from medical aid schemes to bring down hospital fees, and same-day surgery is an ideal way to perform cheaper surgery for a wide range of procedures. This would allow the community access to affordable medical care,” he explained.