New hospitals for Hammanskraal and Soshanguve
We want primary healthcare centres to become the backbone of public healthcare.
Two new hospitals are set to be built in townships north of Pretoria to alleviate the pressure on Jubilee hospital in Hammanskraal and George Mukhari in Ga-Rankuwa.
Gauteng premier David Makhura said the hospitals would be built in Soshanguve and Hammanskraal.
Makhura paid a surprise visit to Jubilee hospital on Tuesday.
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He announced a combination of interventions by the Gauteng provincial government to stabilise the public healthcare system.
“The provincial government is injecting capital into infrastructure projects to build facilities that are health standards- compliance-certified. Two state-of-the-art clinics are being built in the Hammanskraal area while one is already operational in Kekana Gardens.
“We want primary healthcare centres to become the backbone of public healthcare. I am very happy that our vision of delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure projects is becoming a reality. We will be back here in Hammanskraal before the festive season to open Mandisa Shiceka clinic,” Makhura said.
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The premier’s unannounced visit was part of service delivery assessment to priority healthcare facilities aimed at restoring confidence in the public healthcare system.
“We want to implement performance assessments of all healthcare facilities including citizen satisfaction surveys on a quarterly basis to ensure transparency and accountability,” Makhura told patients at Jubilee.
According to the Gauteng government, the 551-bed hospital would provide general services ranging from obstetrics and gynaecology, out-patients, family medicine, paediatrics, mental health and emergency services. The hospital would serve as a referral for 32 clinics mostly from North West, Limpopo and 11 in Gauteng.
Makhura said the referral system was putting too much pressure on districts and regional hospitals in the province.
“Some of the cases being treated at this facility could have been treated at primary healthcare facilities,” said Makhura.
He urged health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku to prioritise the infrastructure and human resource needs of the hospital to provide immediate service delivery relief there.
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