Upgrades at Vredenburg Hospital progressing well

The Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) is making good progress with phased upgrades and extensions to the Vredenburg Hospital to cater for the growing health needs of the West Coast District. This R124 million project for the Western Cape Department of Health was commissioned in March 2016 and is scheduled to have been completed in May 2018. Work is being done in a way that does not interrupt ongoing health service delivery. When the project is complete, the upgraded hospital will be able to accommodate 80 inpatients.

The project includes site works, upgrades to existing clinical and support service facilities, new staff accommodation, and a new administration building. Recently completed Phase 2 construction includes work on the administration building, theatre complex, sterilisation unit, laboratory, mortuary, 12-bed temporary paediatric unit, and support services (kitchen, cleaning, refuse, and laundry).

The final phase of the project – the new paediatric unit, rehabilitation unit, bulk stores and registry – is currently under way. A notable feature of the new extensions is that the roofs bring natural light into the central parts of these buildings. This is likely to become a design feature in future hospitals.

The project makes use of labour-intensive methods that provide a limited number of short-term work opportunities and skills training for local people. To date, R8,6 million has been spent on targeted enterprises and R4,5 million on local labour. In addition, local people are also benefiting from on-site skills training opportunities.

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