New ICU and high-care beds as well as a seventh operating theatre at Busamed Gateway Private Hospital are indications of the growing healthcare demand north of Durban, say Busamed and Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings of their R60m infrastructure expansion at the Umhlanga facility, where construction is currently under way on further developments to increase capacity.
Moneyweb reports that the hospital expansion forms part of a targeted growth model managed by Growthpoint Investment Partners, the fund management business of JSE-listed Growthpoint Properties, which oversees R7.3bn in specialised assets under management across South Africa.
The capital investment is directed toward expanding critical surgical capacity and specialised care infrastructure inside the fast-growing coastal medical node.
The recent infrastructure rollout at Busamed Gateway combines completed surgical updates with active clinical construction. The facility has already brought a seventh operating theatre into service – fully functional since January – while a newly completed 18-bed unit has been handed over, dividing capacity between 12 ICU beds and six high-care beds, to expand the hospital’s high-dependency treatment footprint.
Rafeek Nakooda, hospital manager, said construction teams are currently finishing a 30-bed adult ward. It will include six designated isolation units, and is scheduled for completion and opening in the third quarter of 2026.
The project represents a deeper commercial partnership between the healthcare real estate fund and Busamed, which operates three flagship assets inside the GHPH property portfolio: Busamed Gateway Private Hospital, Busamed Hillcrest Private Hospital, and Busamed Paardevlei Private Hospital in Cape Town.
Farhana Russell, fund manager at Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings, said private corporate backing is essential for building long-term capacity in South Africa’s healthcare real estate sector.
The company’s nationwide property holdings span eight operational hospitals, medical consulting rooms, a pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution facility, and Auria Senior Living communities.
To sustain this growth trajectory, the fund has raised over R2.4bn from third-party institutional investors to date, backed by a 39.1% foundational stake held by primary sponsor Growthpoint Properties.
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