R528 million private hospital built in one of South Africa’s biggest cities
A new R528 million private hospital, Baywest Acute Hospital, is being developed next to Baywest Mall in Gqeberha.
Baywest Acute Hospital will initially have 120 beds, five operating theatres and a 24-hour emergency unit. Its capacity could eventually increase to 216 beds and eight operating theatres.
The project reached a milestone on 22 October 2026, when doctors, investors and Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe attended a sod-turning ceremony at the site.
Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2026, and the facility is expected to open in April 2028.
The hospital will be the first new acute-care hospital to be built in Nelson Mandela Bay in more than 40 years.
Netcare Greenacres opened in 1985, before the metro’s population grew from around 590,000 to more than one million residents.
The new facility will bring multiple medical and surgical services together under one roof, increasing the region’s private healthcare capacity.
Baywest Acute Hospital is being developed with significant investment from medical specialists who intend to practise at the facility.
To date, 28 specialists across a range of disciplines have invested in the project, alongside 17 other healthcare professionals.
The hospital’s founder and a board member, Dr Cameron McIntosh, explained that the development had taken six years to reach the construction stage.
“From my days as a medical student, I dreamt of building hospitals,” he said. “For Baywest Hospital specifically, it has taken us six years to get to this point where we can turn the first sod.”
McIntosh, who is an ear, nose and throat specialist and plastic surgeon in Gqeberha, was also involved in developing the city’s Edge Day Hospital, which was completed in 2021.
Hospital chairman Bernard Venter said the project was the result of local doctors, investment and a shared belief that Nelson Mandela Bay needed additional healthcare infrastructure.
The hospital is structured through separate operating and property companies, with practitioners among its shareholders.
The funding includes R200 million in equity raised from shareholders. The balance is financed by Investec.
What the hospital will offer
The location next to Baywest Mall, on the western outskirts of Gqeberha and close to the N2, should make the facility accessible to patients from across Nelson Mandela Bay.
The facility will also be easily accessible to residents from surrounding towns, including Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, Kariega and St Francis Bay.
Designed by Imbono Architects, Baywest Acute Hospital will offer a range of services, including maternity care, gynaecology, paediatrics, general surgery, orthopaedics, urology, nephrology and neurosurgery.
It will also provide intensive and high-care, diagnostic imaging, dialysis, and a 24-hour emergency and casualty service.
A dedicated haematology unit is planned to provide stem cell transplants and specialised isolation facilities.
The service is intended to address a gap in specialist treatment that can require some Eastern Cape patients to travel elsewhere for care.
The first phase will include five operating theatres, with three additional theatres planned as the hospital expands.
The project has secured approval for 120 beds and is licensed to expand to 216 beds. The additional capacity will be developed in phases as demand grows and more specialists join the hospital.
The hospital is being designed to connect patients, visitors and staff to the outdoors.
Patient rooms will overlook the surrounding landscape and an indigenous courtyard garden at the centre of the building. The garden will also be visible from the main circulation corridors.
The facility will also incorporate solar power generation, rainwater harvesting, and water storage tanks.
Natural light and energy-efficient clinical equipment are intended to reduce energy use and operating costs.
Integrated digital systems and artificial intelligence-enabled technology will be used to support clinical decision-making and operational efficiency.
The facility will also be paper-light, using digital processes to connect patient information with hospital services.
Renders of Baywest Acute Hospital
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1 commentsHow many private hospitals and clinics have been built in 32 years, vs how many state facilities have been closed, left unmaintained or simply abandoned by the ANC during that time?