Opening of the Revitalised George Regional Hospital: 30 June 2006

On the 30th June 2006, Dr Tshabalala-Msimang officially opened the revitalised and upgraded facility. The hospital has 265 beds and provides a range of specialist services to the Southern Cape/Karoo area.

The aim of the revitalisation project was to improve the hospital's infrastructure, technology and services to bring them in line with international standards. Services such as dialysis, mammography, oncology and chemotherapy, physiotherapy, x-rays, ultrasound and an ARV clinic are some of the services rendered by skilled health professionals. The hospital has a well-established outreach and support programme with regard to the district hospitals in the region, and also provides support to the primary healthcare system in George.

Dr Tshabalala-Msimang said the Hospital Revitalisation Project (HRP) at George Hospital is her department's biggest project so far. "The National Revitalisation Programme's budget for the 2006/2007 financial year is R2 billion", she said. She congratulated the National Department of Health and the Provincial Departments of Health and Public Works respectively on the successful completion of a sterling job.

"All 550 000 residents of the Southern Cape/Karoo health region will gain advantage from the R90 million that the government spent towards the improvements at George Regional Hospital", said Pierre Uys. "It enables us to provide more specialist services to our people in places as remote as Murraysburg, Laingsburg and Riversdale. I am proud of the quality service that our staff provide at George Hospital", he said.

Western Cape Transport and Public Works Minister Marius Fransman said his department has committed itself to providing state of the art infrastructure that assist in improving the health and rehabilitation of patients while providing comfortable accommodation. Minister Fransman said: "The single most important aspect for the design team was the patients' experience of the complex. Taking into account that the patient will be removed from their every day experience of life when visiting a hospital, it was important to consider factors such as detachment from friends and loved ones, a sense of confinement, loss of privacy and unfamiliar surroundings. This, together with the knowledge of illness or serious injury can give rise to acute emotional distress. And we will continue to construct facilities of this nature in communities where they are needed most to ensure that we make the 'Western Cape a Home for All'."

Some of the new and upgraded facilities are five clinical wards, a day theater and four upgraded operating theaters, a main kitchen, a linen bank and a parking garage.

Issued by:
The Directorate Communications
Office of the Superintendent of Health, Western Cape
Department of Health
Faiza Steyn
Director: Communication
Tel: 021 483 3235
Herman van der Westhuizen
Media Liaison Officer to the Minister of Health
Tel: 021 483 2627