By BAKANG MOKOTO
24 July 2025- The North West University (NWU) principal and vice chancellor, Professor Bismark Tyobeka, has lauded the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s announcement that plans are in place to add to the country’s ten academic hospitals. This comes after Motsoaledi made the announcement during his budget vote presentation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday.
Tyobeka further said Motsoaledi highlighted that, there are currently no academic hospitals in the North West, Mpumalanga or the Northern Cape, and although proposed projects in these regions are in the preliminary stages of development. He added that the NWU is in the advanced stage of constructing the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine.
“Aligning this project with the proposed academic hospital in the North West would greatly benefit the citizens of the province. The first intake of NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine students is scheduled for 2028.
“South Africa faces many healthcare challenges and it is heartening to see that the public healthcare system on which almost 90% of South Africans rely, is a high government priority,” said Tyobeka.
He said, but more than a priority, healthcare is a promise to the citizens that they must keep. Tyobeka said, therefore, he is elated by the Minister’s pronouncement regarding plans in the pipeline to establish additional academic hospitals, one of which is earmarked for the North West.
“This development strongly supports our NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine, which is presently under construction. Whilst not wishing to pre-empt any formal decisions, we are hopeful that the government will strategically locate this hospital in Mahikeng or within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, in close proximity to our NWU Mahikeng Campus.
“Such a move would significantly enhance the university’s capacity to broaden the footprint of our NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine beyond the Kenneth Kaunda District, thereby improving equitable access to high-calibre healthcare professionals and clinical expertise across the province,” he said.
Tyobeka said the integration of the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine with a future academic hospital in the North West holds immense promise not only for advancing medical education, but also for transforming healthcare access and outcomes in the province.
Meanwhile, Motsoaledi said they wish to add three new central hospitals in provinces, where they never existed before such as Mpumalanga Academic Hospital, North West Academic Hospital and Northern Cape Academic Hospital. He said these three are still in very early planning stages.
“Their entry into the health network will ramp up our academic hospitals from ten to fourteen. The extreme overcrowding in our public health facilities is caused by rapid population growth and rapid urbanisation.
“Please, remember that the public health system is utilised by 86% of South Africa’s population, including individuals from neighbouring countries. We have clear evidence of this in the Eastern Cape with repeated problems at Dora Nginza Hospital in Qqeberha,” said Motsoaledi.
He said their analysis of Dora Nginza hospital – also analysed by the Public Protector – concluded that the perennial problem can only be solved by building additional district hospitals.
The Guardian 