Mowbray Maternity Hospital will discharge mothers earlier, transfer them to other facilities, or move them to a military base for postnatal recovery depending on how they deliver, as the hospital begins a major two-year renovation.

Construction started in January this year and will run until 2028. To allow building work to move ward by ward, the hospital temporarily closed its 50-bed postnatal ward and relocated patients to other facilities.

If you are having a C-section

Provincial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will transfer caesarean mothers, together with their newborns, to one of three hospitals: 2 Military Hospital at the Wynberg Military Base, Mitchells Plain Hospital, or False Bay Hospital. Clinical needs and eligibility determine which facility each mother goes to. The hospital will notify families before any move takes place.

After discharge, the hospital will link each patient to her nearest midwife obstetric unit (MOU) for continued postnatal support.

If you are having a normal birth

Low-risk mothers who have a normal vaginal birth and meet all discharge criteria will go home six hours after delivery — a shorter stay than before. After that, they must use their nearest clinic for postnatal follow-up and return to MMH only if a healthcare worker refers them.

What the hospital says

“This renovation marks an important step forward for the hospital and the communities we serve,” said Janine Joemat, chief executive officer of MMH.

“While we know that temporary changes can be challenging, the safety and comfort of our mothers and babies remain at the heart of every decision we make,” Joemat said.

MMH transferred the first group of patients on Monday, 1 June. Dr Anne Horak, head of obstetrics at MMH, walked the first patient out to the ambulance herself.

Dr Saadiq Kariem, chief operating officer for the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, said cooperation across government made the arrangement possible.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to healthcare workers and our colleagues in the Department of Defence and specifically Colonel Riaz Ismail for making this possible,” Kariem said.

Visiting a patient at 2 Military Hospital?

Families need to prepare before visiting. The hospital sits inside a restricted South African National Defence Force (SANDF) base, and the Defence Act 44 of 2002 controls entry. Guards do not allow walk-in access.

Every visitor must carry a valid South African identity document. Guards may ask for your full name, address and personal details, inspect your vehicle, bags and any parcels or containers, and conduct an electronic scan for dangerous items. Guards may also carry out a physical search if they consider it necessary, and will hold any prohibited items at the gate until you leave.

The base does not allow taxis or e-hailing services such as Uber. The base also prohibits food deliveries, including Uber Eats.

Visiting hours at 2 Military Hospital

• Spousal bonding: 11:00–12:00
• General visiting: 15:00–16:00 and 19:00–20:00
• No more than three visitors per patient at any time
• Only the patient’s own children may visit, no other children, with no age restriction on siblings
• Public toilets and designated smoking areas are available on site

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