The tentative August 2025 opening date for the fourth SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) hospital in Gqeberha has come and gone, and although the new medical care facility was declared “fit for use” the previous April, it remains in a phased approach to opening, reports DefenceWeb.
This was the official SAMHS line on when the still unnamed hospital (originally due to open in 2022) will be fully in service as well as bed and ward numbers, along with staffing levels and specific medical services available.
In response to a DefenceWeb inquiry, the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI) Eastern Cape provincial office said the new facility on the Gqeberha Forest Hill military base was completed as “fit for use” in mid-April.
The total project cost is given as R624 254 579 with construction at R58 254 579 being the major component.
Medical equipment costs are, according to DPWI Eastern Cape, R38 765 431. The DPWI senior project manager said the figures were subject to change as “finalisation of accounts is under way”.
The project comprised six components – the hospital itself and area military health unit headquarters; a three surgery dental block with administration and lab services; a medical platoon building for emergency response; four staff houses as well as 36 single accommodation units, five of which are for disabled SAMHS personnel; what is termed “a parking hangar”, and auxiliary buildings including generator and pump rooms.
The hospital has two operating theatres for minor surgery, six general wards with 30 beds in total, including five cots for infants; a general out-patients section; a casualty department; three intermediate care rooms; a pharmacy; an auxiliary Health Department with physio, biogenetics and rehab facilities, among others, as well as psychology and social services and a full kitchen with canteen facilities.
Earlier this month, SAMHS Corporate Communication indicated the service was still “working diligently” to ensure the hospital will be ready to provide quality healthcare.
The pharmacy, dental, outpatient department, X-ray services and EMS are in daily use.
In addition to patients from the SA Air Force station at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport; Naval Base (Gqeberha); the provincial SA Army support base and nearby 6 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion, the hospital will also assist military pensioners and veterans with the necessary documentation.
DefenceWeb article – New SAMHS hospital in Gqeberha not yet fully operational (Open access)
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Vital equipment not functioning at military hospital – patients turned away
SANDF’s military hospitals now ‘in intensive care’