The director of Herolim Private Hospital in Mthatha, Dr Mkhuseli Mashiyi, is confident this new hospital will bring relief to some of the patients in Mthatha and surrounding areas, as they will not have to travel long distances to get help.
According to Mashiyi, he has been working in Mthatha since starting his career as a doctor, and he knows both public and private hospitals.
“I realised when I was working in a private hospital there was always a problem of a shortage of beds in Mthatha.
“I am proud to say that our hospital has 76 beds, currently. We are planning to have 120 beds in this hospital,” he said.
The hospital has 18 specialists, three operating theatres, a Cath lab, radiology department, and emergency department.
“We did not have a Cath lab in Mthatha. Patients who had heart problems were forced to go for treatment in Durban. Now we have this lab here at Herolim, and we will offer this service,” said Mashiyi.
He added that almost all patients in the government hospital where he is working, and those who are in private hospitals, can now be treated in this new hospital.
Talking about safety, Mashiyi said the hospital has security, so everyone is safe.
Premier of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane, said it was a pleasure to witness the official launch of this state-of-the-art health care facility in Mthatha.
He said private investment is something that they are happy with, as government.
“We recommend and appreciate it. With investors putting more than R200 million into this facility this area is likely also to be a home of tourism. Lots of specialists are here; some of them working here, and some are in Cape Town. It shows that Mthatha has a huge potential to grow bigger,” said Mabuyane.
He said he was very happy to see this kind of feedback from investors and the private sector.
Mabuyane said the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has done a great job in Mthatha, and it was not the first time, as it also played a role in building the Royal Buffalo Hospital in East London.
