Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says all areas of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital will be available by December next year.
The fire that started in a basement storeroom in the hospital parkade on April 16 2021 led to the temporary closure of the facility and caused damage estimated by the department at more than R1bn.
“The repairs to the fire damaged area of blocks 4 and 5 are underway with work packages being executed. The completion date is estimated at December 2023. There are also smaller work packages, such as repairs to columns and beams and construction of shear walls for structural stability,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said on Sunday.
The work to build a temporary access ramp to parking level 3 to free about 300 parking bays will be completed next month, she said.
Fire compliance work in blocks 1 to 5 and the admin block related to non-compliance findings by the City of Johannesburg will continue. This is expected to be completed by early 2026, "given the volume of work that needs to be done".
The MEC said a "decanting strategy" has been adopted so work is happening on a block-by-block basis with compliance work estimated to be from six to eight months per block. This means services will keep rotating within the hospital while contractors work from one area to another.
The hospital is operating 979 inpatient beds, which is 92% capacity compared to its pre-fire status. For outpatients, the hospital is at 75% capacity, compared to pre-fire capacity of 55,000 outpatients a month, Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
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More than a year to go before access to all areas of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
Image: Gauteng health
Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says all areas of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital will be available by December next year.
The fire that started in a basement storeroom in the hospital parkade on April 16 2021 led to the temporary closure of the facility and caused damage estimated by the department at more than R1bn.
“The repairs to the fire damaged area of blocks 4 and 5 are underway with work packages being executed. The completion date is estimated at December 2023. There are also smaller work packages, such as repairs to columns and beams and construction of shear walls for structural stability,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said on Sunday.
The work to build a temporary access ramp to parking level 3 to free about 300 parking bays will be completed next month, she said.
Fire compliance work in blocks 1 to 5 and the admin block related to non-compliance findings by the City of Johannesburg will continue. This is expected to be completed by early 2026, "given the volume of work that needs to be done".
The MEC said a "decanting strategy" has been adopted so work is happening on a block-by-block basis with compliance work estimated to be from six to eight months per block. This means services will keep rotating within the hospital while contractors work from one area to another.
The hospital is operating 979 inpatient beds, which is 92% capacity compared to its pre-fire status. For outpatients, the hospital is at 75% capacity, compared to pre-fire capacity of 55,000 outpatients a month, Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
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