Property Reporter

PRIVATE hospital group Curamed opened the new R140m Curamed Kloof Hospital in Pretoria yesterday.

Liezel le Roux, executive marketing manager for Curamed Specialised Hospitals, said the first patients would be taken in on Monday with about 35 procedures booked for the same day.

An open day showcasing the hospital, situated just off the Rigel Road off-ramp of the N1 highway, to the Pretoria public will be held on Saturday from 9am till 2pm.

Members of the public will receive a guided tour of the premises, as well as free blood screenings.

Curamed announced last month that it had sold 67% of its shares to a consortium made up of national hospital group Medi-Clinic and a multiparty economic empowerment initiative headed by Mvelaphanda Strategic Investments.

Medi-Clinic and the multiparty organisations formed the consortium Tshwane Private Hospitals to buy the shares. The share purchase was made at a cost of R111,7m and became effective from December last year .

Medi-Clinic northern region director Louw de Wet said one of the deal's motives was to gain market share in the Tshwane area.

Before the transaction, MediClinic owned and managed 35 hospitals nationwide, but had no representation in the Pretoria area.

"As the capital city, Pretoria is strategically important in all industries, in particular in serving the government employee and diplomatic communities," De Wet said.

Medi-Clinic has a 51% stake in the Tshwane Private Hospitals Consortium. The remainder of the shares are held by Mvelaphanda, Nozala and black doctors' group Utlwanang, which incorporates Phodiso, made up of 60 Pretoriabased doctors.

Mvelaphanda was established in 1998 by SA businessman Tokyo Sexwale.

Mvelaphanda director Dr Jackie Mphafudi said the black equity groups would have a 33% shareholding in Curamed, bringing it into compliance with the statutory 25% minimum.

Jun 06 2003 07:38:59:000AM Nick Wilson Business Day 1st Edition