Construction of Mitchells Plain Hospital to Start in January 2010

At a press conference at Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital today, Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, announced that this Western Cape Provincial Government has taken a decision to expedite the construction of Mitchell's Plain District Hospital, and that construction will start as soon as January 2010.

Botha said that the Western Cape Provincial Government's determination to address the capacity problems in Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, led to a speedy resolution. "It is a demonstration that this Cabinet recognises the community's dire need for a hospital in Mitchell's Plain, and the need to lighten the load on GF Jooste Hospital.

"We inherited a legacy which I refer to as an apartheids vacuum, a space that left the whole of the Cape Flats without infrastructure. Now it's our opportunity, and our responsibility, to fill that vacuum," says Botha.

The Western Cape Department of Health analyzed the Burden of Disease, as well as the distribution of hospital beds according to the population count. GF Jooste Hospital currently services a population of 1.3 million people. Relative to other acute hospitals, it carries a disproportionately large burden of HIV, TB and trauma cases. The monthly attendance at the Emergency Centre ranges from 3000 people in summer to around 4500 people in winter. Approximately 1200 of these patients are admitted on a monthly basis.

The Mitchell's Plain Community Health Centre sees only walk-in cases, around 4000 per day, and not in-patients. Emergency patients are stabilised and sent to hospitals like GF Jooste and Groote Schuur. It follows that there is a very urgent need for a hospital in the Mitchell's Plain area.

With this decision Provincial Government intends to speed up the construction of the hospital and completion is planned for December 2012 (37 month contract). This will have the added benefits that bid prices will not increase, and reduce inflation costs. The tender will be awarded within the next month, and full-scale construction will start in January 2010.

The construction cost for the complex is estimated at R540 million.

The new hospital will form an important link in the reshaping of healthcare services by providing district healthcare to the communities of Mitchell's Plain, Phumlani, Mandalay, Browns Farm and Cross Roads. The estimated population of 432,462 people that will be served by this hospital is a mix from different communities and of different socio economic status.

The hospital will have a total of 230 beds, and the design will allow for future expansion to 300 beds.

Inpatient services will cover:

• 60 Medical Adult beds
• 60 Surgical Adult beds
• 60 Obstetrics beds, including Kangaroo mother care
• 30 Pediatrics beds
• 20 Overnight beds
• Accident and Emergency Unit
• General Outpatients

The new hospital will provide district level support to the Community Health Care Centres of Cross Roads, Lentegeur, and Mitchell's Plain and Rocklands as well as the primary health care facilities in the sub district to ensure that patients receive care at the lowest level of entry into the healthcare system.

The referral regional and tertiary hospital for the hospital will be G F Jooste, Karl Bremer and Tygerberg Hospital respectively.

The site will be protected by an electrical fence, security booms and surveillance cameras.

Mitchell's Plain Hospital: View Model

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Issued by:
Theuns Botha MPP
Western Cape Minister for Health

For more information please contact:

Media liaison: Hélène Rossouw
Cell: 082 771 8834
Tel: 021 483 4426
Email: herossou@pgwc.gov.za