By Avuyile Mgxitama

A new 100-bed hospital which will service the greater Buffalo City is to be built in East London.

Health Department Superintendent-General Lawrence Boya, who did not want to release too much information about the project, said authorities had arrived at the decision after identifying a need for such an institution in East London.
But Buffalo City Municipality is in the dark about these plans. “I can’t comment at the moment because we don’t know of any plans about the construction of a hospital here. So we can’t comment,” said City’s development planning director Craig Sam.
A level 1 hospital is a facility that offers a wide range of outpatient and inpatient primary healthcare services.
Currently, the East London community is being serviced by Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane and Frere Hospital in East London. The two institutions constitute the East London Hospital Complex.
Boya said the new hospital will also form part of the complex. “The Mdantsane area already has Cecilia Makiwane, so that area is addressed. There is also a need for a district hospital in the East London town is where Level 1 services can be accessed,” he said.
East London Hospital Complex chief executive Vuyo Mosana refused to comment on the issue, referring all queries to the Health Department.
But Boya would not release any details regarding how much the building could cost and its location, saying these have not yet been determined.
“Consultants that will be appointed will prepare a master plan and do the research and report,” said Boya.
Though details of the new hospital remained sketchy last night, Democratic Alliance caucus leader Avis Rens welcomed the news. But he warned that the hospital would have to be fully-resourced to make any meaningful impact on the East London community.
“Sincerely, if the staffing problems are not sorted out and there are not enough resources to build a hospital, there are already facilities that are out of reach of people. The location of the hospital is also important, the people at areas like Beacon Bay and West Bank must be able to access that hospital,” said Rens.