Plans are under way to build a new hospital in Limpopo after premier Stanley Mathabatha handed over a site for the construction of R4-billion Limpopo Central Academic Hospital in Polokwane.
The construction of the hospital, funded by the national Department of Health on behalf of the provincial health department, is expected to commence in June.
According to the premier’s office, the social facilitation of the project has been under way since 2022.
Mathabatha said the new facility will improve the quality of life for people in the province.
“Since I became premier I made it known … that Limpopo needs an academic hospital. It is indeed a dream for the province and the SADC [Southern African Development Community] region based on our strategic location,” Mathabatha said.
The project is expected to generate 1 220 part-time jobs during the construction phase and create 2 461 full-time jobs in Polokwane and the surrounding areas once fully operational.
“Our dreams as people of Limpopo are coming close to reality. The commitment we made over the years is finally coming to fruition,” the premier said.
“We are glad that upon completion, our province will have a purely tertiary healthcare institution, rendering specialised and highly specialised services to medically referred patients.”
According to the provincial health department, the hospital will be built in phases, allowing the provincial government to monitor progress and ensure that it is completed on time.
“The hospital will initially have 488 beds. This will be increased to 688-bed capacity once the project is completed. The hospital will render services such as oncology, gynaecology, neonatal, paediatric and cardiac, among others,” said the department.
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