The Tzaneen Healthcare Hub, located off the R71 behind McDonald’s, is a mere 650m from Mediclinic Tzaneen and will offer consulting suites, doctors and medical professionals in a 3280 m² space. On Wednesday, July 31, Dr Elias Maowasha, co-owner of the hub, expressed his satisfaction with how far the building has come during an onsite tour.
“This is way beyond my expectations. I had a vision of how I wanted it to be but seeing it becoming a reality, makes me very happy.” He said many specialists have expressed their interest in being part of the hub. “That for us means that we are growing.” He said after the Herald reported on the development a few years ago, Van Heerden Pharmacy contacted him and showed interest.
“I knew then that I had made a smart decision to start the hub. It took vision to come up with something like this,” he said. Maowasha’s business partner, Pieter van Heerden, owner of Van Heerden Pharmacy, said that he contacted Maowasha after an employee showed him the article in the Herald. “I told him that I was interested in being part of the development and we started our discussions, and now we are partners,” he told the Herald on Wednesday.
“The hub is a medical and health one-stop shop, you can see your doctor, get your medicine, consult a specialist or see a qualified nurse. “This project is more than what we have anticipated, it exceeded our expectations. At first, we only wanted to do a single storey, but decided to expand the building,” he said. Walter Dhooge, development manager of the hub, said that the building will provide a central space for doctors and healthcare specialists.
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“The intention is to bring various practices to one space that would work together. For instance, we will host a gynaecologist next to a paediatrician, specialists who work closely together. We are also only metres from the hospital, so it will be convenient for everyone. A lot of doctors who have signed with us have practices out of the town, and need a surgery centrally located,” he said.
Construction will be finished by the end of August, with September earmarked for occupation and an anticipated opening for early to mid-October, said Dhooge. Dimakatso Mawasha, a social worker at Maowasha’s practice, said she is delighted with the new healthcare hub. “When I started working for Dr Maowasha, I was a receptionist, but I saw the need for counselling. I already had a bachelor’s degree and returned to school to study social work, now I get to help patients. This hub will deliver a very necessary service,” she said.
