INSIDE METROS REPORTER
The Premier of Limpopo, Stanley Mathabatha, handed over the 25 hectares of land donated for the construction of the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital to the contractor, ENZA Construction.
The 25 hectares donated by the Polokwane Municipality is on Webster Street, Polokwane, adjacent to EDUPARK and bordering similar land donated to the University of Limpopo for the construction of the School of Medicine that will link to the academic hospital.
The technical handover follows years of planning and pronouncements during the State of the Province Address (SOPA) by the Premier.
“Since I became Premier I made it known to the former President Zuma and the sitting President, Matamela Ramaphosa, that Limpopo needs an academic hospital. It is indeed a dream for the province and the SADC region based on our strategic location that today we are here to signal the beginning of this great work,” said Premier Mathabatha.
Mathabatha went on to say: “Preliminary estimates show that the project is expected to generate 1,220 part-time jobs during the construction phase and create 2,461 full-time equivalent jobs in Polokwane and surrounding areas, once the hospital is fully operational.
“After this process of hand over, we shall, together with the Minister of Health, make determination on when to officially hold a more elaborate sod-turning ceremony. This decision is typically made once site establishment has been achieved. We are glad to report that the schedule agreed upon will see this site established by the end of June 2023.”
The hospital will be built in phases allowing the provincial government to monitor progress to ensure that it is completed on time.
The multi-billion rand project will improve the health care system in the province with the inclusion of solar usage addressing the current rolling black outs that affect operations at all health institutions.
The first phase of the construction will commence in the first week of June 2023 and will see the hospital operating with 488 beds which will be increased to 688 bed capacity once the project is completed.
The province currently sends patients to Steve Biko Academic hospital in Pretoria for other medical procedures but the completion of the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital will attract more specialists to work in the province and reduce working pressure at the other institutions in the country.
The hospital will render services such as oncology, gynaecology, neonatal, paediatric and cardiac, among others.
INSIDE METROS