CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 2, 2016 | Page 17

The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands countryside offers a tranquil , restorative environment that is perfect for the development of specialist private healthcare facilities .
Photo : Stephen Pryke
R200m , 94-bed hospital like the recently built Life Hilton private hospital just outside Pietermaritzburg creates an average of 160 temporary construction-related jobs . On top of this , this sort of private healthcare facility also provides an average of 198 jobs in support services , such as cleaning , maintenance and security . Of course , private healthcare facilities must pay property taxes to their municipalities , and the municipalities in the uMgungundlovu area already earn approximately R10 million a year from these taxes . Allowing the industry to expand would represent significant increased income for the district ’ s municipalities . Given the potential advantages for the region , a task team was set up , which included the CEOs of private hospitals , and the Midi study was commissioned . The report was then presented to the Provincial Department of Health by Blueprint and the PCB , with a request that , in the interests of economic development , consideration be given to not applying the formula in Pietermaritzburg . The Department agreed that the formula would no longer be applied to limit the number of beds in the region , and all the private hospitals received approval for the expansions they had applied for . “ An important point worth noting is our potential to attract medical specialists ,” says Veness . “ Because of the lifestyle offered by the Pietermaritzburg Midlands area , the proliferation of exceptional private schools and the obvious market demand for professional services , we are ideally placed to attract specialists — it makes sense for them to set up homes and practices here . With specialists come patients from around the country , but obviously specialists need beds . Unlocking these beds is of significance for future economic development because we can now actively recruit specialists ”.
Capital | Issue 2 | 15 .