Busamed Paardevlei Private Hospital officially launched its new mental-wellness facility, reinforcing its position as a “young and dynamic” leader in comprehensive multidisciplinary healthcare excellence within the community.
The official opening event took place on Thursday 14 August at the newly established facility located in the Paardevlei Precinct. Guests and industry partners were graciously received with refreshments and guided tours of the state-of-the-art facility, Thrive@Busamed.
The opening ceremony commenced with an official welcome by Mrs South Africa finalist Anita Momberg, followed by an address from Dr Dumani Kula, CEO of the Busamed Group, who highlighted the significance of the new mental wellness facility as a major milestone for the hospital group.
Dr Kula outlined Busamed’s remarkable expansion over the past decade, explaining that the Somerset West medical facility was the first hospital under the Busamed brand.
The group has since grown to encompass seven hospitals across South Africa, including facilities in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and the Free State offering comprehensive multidisciplinary services with transplants being the only service not currently provided.
“This is a very important milestone for the group, because it’s the first stand-alone mental health facility dedicated to that, and we haven’t done that in the past… the future is indeed here,”
Dr Kula said.
He further acknowledged that despite competitors operating for 30 to 40 years, Busamed has embraced its position as a “newbie in the private sector” to forge a different path.
Moving beyond the traditional admit-treat-discharge model, the group has carved out a unique identity centered on comprehensive community empowerment.
“We are not small, we are just young,” said Dr Kula. “That’s a very important distinction that in being young, what it talks to is that there’s a lot of energy, there’s a lot of outside-the-box thinking, there’s a lot of growth that we are doing.
“We are here to empower you and our communities that you will be able to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. And more fulfilling lives is not just about health and medical in its sense, but it’s really about the totality that we must be able to empower everybody.”
He highlighted the organisation’s significant investment in staff welfare, from medical professionals to support staff including security, catering, and cleaning teams, describing this as building “a powerful integrated system where we are all functioning as one”.
The newly launched facility represents an extension of Busamed’s successful acute care model into mental health services.
“We are not here to just wait for people to be sick and needing to come into hospital. We are going to reach out to where they are, so that we can keep as many people as possible well, keep them whole, and indeed help them to be healthier and live more fulfilling lives.”
The facility will serve voluntary, detoxification and assisted patients through a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and allied health professionals.
Chief strategy officer Dr Nthabiseng Legoete emphasised Busamed’s mission to empower communities through intentional partnerships, declaring those attending as collaborators rather than guests.
“One of the principles we pride ourselves on, something we do very intentionally, is partnering with the communities in which we operate,” she said. “You are that community. So you’re not guests here today; you are our partners, because without partners we cannot thrive, and we cannot help communities thrive. I want everyone here to take this message away: we are all in this together.”
Dr Legoete further outlined plans to work with healthcare professionals to co-create what she envisions could become the world’s best mental health facility, with detailed service information and opening dates to be communicated in coming weeks.
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