Both serve the medical needs of the greater Vaal region and further afield, and Giflo Medical’s development expertise is taking these facilities and their services to the next level. Giflo Medical is part of the Giflo Group, which delivers high-quality commercial properties through developmental excellence.

Giflo Medical is redeveloping and expanding the existing Cormed Private Hospital to accommodate an acute private hospital including specialised ophthalmology, critical care, orthopaedic laminar flow theatre and radiology services, which will enlarge the scope and intensity of procedures offered by the hospital. Cormed also offers maternity, high care, general wards and an after-hours consultation service.

Cormed started as a small day hospital, but has grown several times over 25 years in response to the increasing demand for its services in its community. Identifying the need to expand and improve the facility yet again, its major extension will almost double the size and capacity of the hospital by adding a further 2,000sqm of space and growing it to a total 4,400sqm.

Cormed is listed as one of Discovery Health’s top 20 hospitals in South Africa, and has built a reputation for excellent care at competitive and mostly fixed rates. The revamp and expansion take the hospital to 62 beds and three theatres, including a laminar flow theatre. It is also receiving a full upgrade to all facilities and equipment. Now, its new state-of-the-art building will better reflect its service excellence.

With Giflo Medical’s exemplary track record of healthcare property excellence, Giflo Medical gave Cormed a turnkey solution, applying its management expertise to deliver the project at a fixed cost. This means the doctors can focus on what they do best, without having to worry about construction cost overruns.

“The whole hospital is being optimised, besides receiving the very latest in innovation, the carefully planned changes to the entire hospital building enable it to offer a wider range of procedures to more people,” says Ivan Makkink, Director of Giflo Medical. Of course, details like fail-safe electrical back-up for all vital systems and water reserves are a given for this medical property development.

Ivan adds, “The end result will be a comfortable and enjoyable environment for everyone who uses the building. From the moment they arrive, they’ll be met by a new welcoming and hospitable foyer and throughout their stay enjoy a high-quality, modern environment, which enables the optimal function and experience of the hospital.”

Construction on Cormed began in May this year, and is scheduled for completion in December 2020. The hospital will remain fully operational during its construction, with Giflo Medical taking a phased approach to the project.

“Running a full construction site next to a hospital which integrates new services with existing ones is incredibly challenging; there is much more to it than meets the eye,” explains Pieter Knoesen, Director of Giflo Medical. The project began with the construction of the extension, after which most of the hospital’s operations will be relocating into the new portion of the building to allow for the revamp of the existing premises. Only once this is complete, will the hospital be able to embrace its expanded capacity.

Neighbouring the hospital is the Envision Centre for Sight, a state-of-the-art leading medical facility in the region for ophthalmology, which Giflo Medical recently redeveloped.

The construction project began in January this year and was completed in six months. The entire process was undertaken in close consultation with the centre’s medical practitioners to accommodate the requirements of a fully operational medical facility, and ensure safety for all throughout. This was done with great success and minimal disruption to Envision’s day-to-day operations.

The extension to the centre’s existing building added about 40% to its area, which now spans 830sqm of gross lettable area. The changes have also boosted proficiency and effectively doubled-up its capacity.

The extra space enables it to offer additional specialist eye care services, which include a general and laser therapy practice. Taken with Cormed’s theatres, Envision Centre for Sight can now seamlessly treat patients with a full spectrum of services, whatever their needs.

What is more, the redevelopment completely overhauled its original 90s-style design and transformed it into a high-quality space with pleasing modern aesthetics. Further, a new lift makes the two-storey building’s upper level more accessible for patients and adds flexibility to the entire building’s space.

The ophthalmologists at the Envision Centre for Sight, Doctors Lourens Coetzee, Precious Phatudi, Cornelis Gouws, and Philip Phatudi, describe the project as a dream made into reality, with amazing architecture. “Special features like the double-volume lobby, glass lift and glass theatre wall are proof that it has been treated as more than just a building. We are really impressed with the fact that we were able to continue consulting while Giflo was transforming the building,” said Dr Coetzee, when the redevelopment was completed.