Mawande Jack
The Eastern Cape provincial health department will have to review its policy and allow a private hospital group to establish more private hospitals in Port Elizabeth.
This follows a court victory by Kirkland Investments group, which trades as Eye and Laser Institute, against the province’s refusal to allow the group to establish a hospital in Port Elizabeth.
The move to compel the Eastern Cape government to reconsider Kirkland’s application follows a Grahamstown High Court ruling at the end of last year for the department to reconsider private hospital applications.
The decision of the high court could result in other private health institutions applications in Port Elizabeth like Life Hunterscraig, Netcare Cyler in Uitenhage, Life Health Care, Netcare Greenacres, Casualty Clinique Holdings in Jeffrey’s Bay which also applied to provide additional beds to be reconsidered.
These institutions’ applications to the department were also refused by the department in 2008 on the grounds that there were too many private hospitals operating in the area. Court documents revealed that the application to create a 120-seater private hospital in Port Elizabeth and a 20-bed one as well as an unattached operating theatre in Jeffrey’s Bay was made to the department in 2006 and 2007 and was approved by the then acting superintendent-general.
The department made an about-turn by refusing the application in 2008 arguing that Port Elizabeth had enough private hospitals.
The group subsequently lodged an appeal with the health MEC during the same year.
mawandej@thenewage.co.za
Article source: http://www.thenewage.co.za/40131-1016-53-Hospital_group_wins_right_for_more
