The Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, visited Tygerberg Hospital recently to meet, discuss and provide an update on the much-needed redevelopment of the state-owned facility.

Wenger and Nonhlanhla Nkosi, the department’s deputy director general, met with Marchel German, Ambassador of Global Gateway: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ditri Zandrstra, Director of Public Finance: Invest International and Mohale Rakgate, acting head of Infrastructure Finance and Implementation Support Agency (IFISA) — partners in the redevelopment — at Tygerberg Hospital last week.

It was during this visit on Wednesday 16 September that the group signed a Statement of Intent.

In an online post, Wenger noted that the work being undertaken is intended to help the department deliver high-quality, specialised healthcare to South Africans, while also strengthening training for the next generation of health professionals.

Once-in-a-generation transformation

Wenger told TygerBurger that the redevelopment of Tygerberg Hospital is one of the Western Cape Government’s mega-builds for future infrastructure and is a once-in-a-generation transformation of healthcare in the province.

“Redeveloping Tygerberg is one of the largest and most technically complex infrastructure projects the province has undertaken. The Western Cape Government is working through the required planning and National Treasury processes to secure a sustainable Public Private Partnership agreement. These requirements are essential to protect public finances and ensure the hospitals can serve communities for decades to come.

“This is a long-term project and given the scale of the project and the multiple processes still under way, it is not yet possible to confirm a start date, final cost or completion deadline. However, we are working towards breaking ground in 2029,” said Wenger.

Statement of Intent

Wenger said the agreement explores up to €45 million in proposed support, made available through the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Invest International, for health technology and medical equipment for the future Tygerberg Hospital redevelopment.

“The proposed support is structured in two phases: €15 million is envisaged for oncology-related health technology, with up to a further €30 million for advanced medical equipment for the main redevelopment. This remains subject to the required agreements, conditions, and governance processes.

“While ground has not yet been broken, this is the essential work happening behind the scenes that will make the project possible. This proposed support would help ensure that the future Tygerberg Hospital has the technology and equipment needed to provide specialised, high-quality care and train the next generation of health professionals,” said Wenger.

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