When the Cure Day Hospitals group launched nearly 15 years ago the founders had a simple vision, but achieving it was a mammoth task: provide affordable private health care which would benefit patients, doctors and shareholders.
Proof that the goal was succeeding was perfectly illustrated last week when Cure opened its latest hospital in Beacon Bay, East London, number ten in its portfolio.
The first goal has been more than achieved. The next will be more taxing. Cure aims to have facilities throughout South Africa. Achieve this, and Cure may mute the ongoing cries of South Africans who are fed up with the spiralling cost of healthcare.
Cure’s first hospital opened in Pretoria, Gauteng, in March 2008. The shareholders, which included a newly formed black empowerment consortium purchased Medkin, a going concern hospital established 30 years ago, and rebranded it as Cure Day Hospitals Medkin.
The second hospital was opened in May 2011 in Midstream. The others are: Erasmuskloof, Fourways and Wilgeheuwel, all in Gauteng, Bloemfontein in the Free State and three in the Western Cape: Somerset West, Bellville and Paarl.
Cure East London will have a limited time basking in the limelight of being the latest hospital to open. Cure Alberton is in the final stages of development and will launch shortly.
Bert von Wielligh, Cure’s CEO explained that while the affordable healthcare across SA remained a concrete vision, the expansion would always be achieved in a timely manner to ensure minimum risk and a healthy cash flow for the group.
Today Cure is wholly owned by doctors and business people and is supported by an experienced and qualified management team. Cure EL is staffed by 26 experienced hospital people, many of whom were already working in East London at other health facilities. It has 24-beds and three operating theatres.
Doctors that will use Cure in EL are offered shares in the hospital – so far 27 doctors have taken up the share offer, said von Wielligh, but all doctors (non-shareholders) are welcome to operate at the facility
Day hospitals offer many benefits to patients and doctors alike. The purpose of day surgery is to keep the costs down, offer a shorter recovery time, reduced anxiety, and more convenience to patients. The child-friendly facilities and relaxed environment will make your experience one to remember A single parent may be forced to spend the night with their child at a 24-hour facility, which might leave a problem with other children at home. Day hospitals ensure that a child is in the theatre early and out as soon as they are fit to be discharged.
Doctors expressed that they are firm believers in the concept of day hospitals and its ability to provide more affordable health care.
Von Wielligh said Cure’s entry into EL was largely seamless, with every facet of the hospital coming in on time, aside for a few minor hiccups. Eastern Cape health department had cleared the application procedure for a new facility in a matter of only six months which was a short lead – time. Phase 2 of the developers’ plan will include a Sub-Acute facility adjacent to the building and phase 3 will be consulting rooms. In our view, becoming a comprehensive medical node, as well as being close to an acute hospital in Beacon Bay, is complementary and valuable.
At the launch, Discovery Health’s Vuyokazi Maleki said “We support day clinics as they provide improved access, quality and costs aligned with the prominence of day facilities globally as alternate settings of care”. Discovery have around 4m members and beneficiaries combined.
Von Wielligh invites all doctors in East London to put Cure to the test.
