A large new health and wellness centre to be developed in South Africa will be the first of its kind in the world, says Dr Colleen Coetzee, “We have put together a one-stop shop for medical tourism and health.” The plan is that patients seeking the most sophisticated treatments, operations and cosmetic surgery will fly in from around the world for cutting edge medical attention at a fraction of the price back home.
A large new health and wellness centre to be developed in South Africa will be the first of its kind in the world, says Dr Colleen Coetzee, “We have put together a one-stop shop for medical tourism and health.”
The plan is that patients seeking the most sophisticated treatments, operations and cosmetic surgery will fly in from around the world for cutting edge medical attention at a fraction of the price back home. Construction will start in February on the main health and wellness centre and hotel villas operated by the Three Cities Hotel Group. Local and international specialists will staff the centre, while patients will be able to bring along their families for support while they undergo their operations and treatment.
The complex will be North of the Tugela River, have river and sea views and be called the Thukela Health and Wellness Centre (Thukela is the Zulu name of the river). It will also include an oncology unit as well as a rehabilitation centre for addiction, depression, stress and eating disorders. There will also be a cooking school where patients can learn about healthy eating. As well as a hotel, the project envisages fractional ownership villas, a residential complex, schools, restaurants, shopping complexes and a wedding chapel.
Dr.Coetzee believes that South Africa has been sidelined in medical tourism in the past because people are unaware of the country’s five-star hospitals and doctors, and that many hospitals are not interested. Although many patients from elsewhere in Africa already go to South Africa for medical treatment, there is a lack of after-care, “But that is about to come to an end. After patients have their procedures at the centre, they will check back into their rooms. Should a complication arise, we can link the patient up within five minutes and he can be taken care of. A nursing sister will also be allocated to a patient.”
The centre will be linked to the Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in Durban where heart procedures will be carried out. The project is the brainchild of Oriana and Linden Honeywill, who say, “We have all the necessary approvals and are in discussions with financial partners.”
South Africa is taking the first steps towards establishing national health insurance. South Africa is one of the world’s most unequal societies, where quality health care is skewed towards the private sector. More than 80% of South Africans cannot afford private medical insurance and rely on publicly funded hospitals, which charge a small fee for treatment and are often overstretched. Piloting of the National Health Insurance Scheme will begin in April 2012 in ten selected districts.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi plans to build six new academic hospitals and medical schools in the next decade, in a bid to address the pressing shortage of well-trained healthcare professionals. South Africa is producing 1200 doctors a year but the number needs to be trebled at least. The public sector is short of at least 12 000 doctors and 46 000 nurses.
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