Tertiary services at the Mankweng and Pietersburg hospitals in Polokwane have been provided with a combined budget of R1.2b to ensure health provision in the 2023–24 financial year.

This was announced by the Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, as she delivered the 2023 budget speech at the Lebowakgomo Legislature recently.

“This will strengthen district health services (primary healthcare) and district hospital delivery systems, which received an overall allocation of R12.6b. This shows an increase of 6.9% from 2022–23. Primary healthcare constitutes the backbone of our health delivery system and is therefore allocated 52.9% of the total budget. This budget has grown by an average of 4.8% over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF),” she said.

The MEC also announced that a contractor has been appointed to resume construction of the long-planned Limpopo Academic and Central Hospital.

Premier Stanley Chupu Mathabatha, in his State of the Province Address in February, said this state-of-the-art hospital would create more than 4 500 jobs and require R4.5b, which has been allocated.

According to Provincial Government spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela, the hospital will be located on the remainder of erf 6861 in the southern part of Polokwane, close to the city’s sports stadiums.

Ramathuba said out of 19 alternative energy generators procured for the province’s healthcare facilities, one was dispatched to the Seshego pharmaceutical depot, and added that they have met with the electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, to discuss how best to spare key healthcare facilities from the challenges of load-shedding.

She further announced an allocation of R1.3b for the running of emergency medical services in the province, which includes the budget to purchase 500 ambulances for the first time in a single financial year since 1994.

“This will simply mean that each crew will be allocated its own ambulance to improve response time, accountability, and proper care, so we can prolong the lives of our people.”