Construction of New Du Noon Health Facility to Continue at Potsdam Road

Media Statement by Theuns Botha, Minister of Health

Rumours that the planned new health facility for the people of Du Noon and surrounding areas will be relocated to another site in the Western sub-district are merely that - rumours. The site originally selected for the Du Noon CHC remains at Erf 236, Potsdam Road, Killarney Gardens.

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the community that the new Du Noon facility remains a critical priority in the infrastructure plan of Western Cape Government Health. Planning is at an advanced stage already and we expect construction to start in February 2012.

At present the conceptual designs are in draft stage. The provincial Department of Public Works submitted the drawings, costing and programme to the provincial Department of Health for approval last week. The Department of Health is busy compiling a response with the approval of the proposed design.

We require permission to build from the current property owner, which is the national Department of Public Works. If all goes according to schedule, the tenders will be advertised in February 2012. The estimated period for construction is 18 months, which means the facility could be ready for commissioning in October 2013.

The facility will cover approximately 4 000 square metres. It will be a full-time facility operating 24 hours per day, seven days per week. There will be:

• An emergency unit.
• An eight-bed midwife obstetric-maternity unit.
• A six-bed kangaroo mother care unit.
• Standard Monday to Friday eight-hour facilities.
• Chronic and acute care unit.
• Infectious diseases unit.
• Women and child health unit.
• Oral health unit - dentist.
• Rehabilitation unit, which encompasses physio and occupational therapy.
• Social and psychiatric counselling.
• Medical imaging unit - x-ray
• Pharmacy.

The standing committee of community development of the Western Cape provincial parliament visited the site in August to oversee the applicability of the location and whether it is centrally located and accessible for the people of Du Noon. The current clinic, managed by the City of Cape Town, is too small and does not offer the variety of services required by the communities of Du Noon and Doornbach. This is a rapidly growing node.

The site at Potsdam Road is very close to the bus and taxi routes used by the people who commute daily from other parts of the metro to Montague Gardens and Killarney Gardens.

I need to reiterate that there seems to be people spreading malicious rumours that the facility is to be constructed at a different site. These are false and should be ignored and laughed about.