Update

GEORGE NEWS - The official turning of the soil of the new Mediclinic George will take place on Friday 22 September. The builder recently moved on site. 

Mediclinic George and Geneva manager Kassie Karstens said after an eight-year delay in the original plan to have the new hospital up and running by 2018, staff, management and doctors are relieved and excited that there is finally some activity on site.

George Municipality gave the go-ahead for the construction of the new facility in York Street in November 2020, and Mediclinic thereafter expressed the hope to open their doors by December 2023. This date has now been extended to 2025.

Karstens said the rezoning and fulfilment of legal requirements during the application process were time-consuming. 

"One does not realise how many role players there are until one starts such a process, but we are grateful that the municipality supports us and that we were finally able to go on site. We are pleased to have been able to use a local architectural firm, SDK Architects, while we are making use of the expertise of WBHO as builders and main contractor, with Mediclinic's corporate office providing oversight."

Future of existing building

A final decision about the existing hospital building has not been made, but there is a lot of interest from potential buyers, said Karstens.

Almost all the doctors in the vicinity of the hospital in Gloucester Avenue intend to move to the new premises.

"Ninety-five percent of the doctors have indicated that they will be occupying rooms in the new hospital, allowing a better service for the community in one place. It will be a huge privilege to be able to work in a brand-new hospital and to join together the two separate hospitals, Geneva and George, under one roof and work as one team with bigger facilities and more space.

"But the new facility alone will not ensure proper patient care - the staff are responsible for that. So the new hospital together with human effort will be the determining factors in giving the best care. We are looking forward to it."

George Municipality rejected Mediclinic's initial application to develop an area on the sawmill property at Kraaibosch on the basis that the site was located outside of the urban edge. Mediclinic at the time had said it was under pressure due to the growing demand for private healthcare.

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