SAKHIWO HEALTH: A Healing Approach to Hospital Design

“Creating functional healthcare infrastructure, one facility at a time,” is how Sakhiwo defines its mission and purpose, with close to 50 completed projects to its name and more than 25 years of experience speaking to its success.

“With a proven track record in healthcare infrastructure, planning and technology in South Africa and across the continent, we continually raise the bar for functional infrastructure services and deliver comprehensive solutions from infrastructure development to commissioning and facility maintenance management.

“We’ve expanded our scope, and today we are an all-inclusive partner, driving infrastructural progress in the public and private sectors.”

HEALING ARCHITECTURE

The hospital has come so often to represent a milestone, or landmark, in the lives of so many, and there is growing awareness, backed by research, that patients’ experience and healing are influenced directly by the environment in which the process takes place, with the physical environment is increasingly recognised as a pivotal factor. As a result, the concept of healing architecture has become key to architectural layouts in the design of hospitals and healthcare establishments, underscoring how thoughtfully planned spaces can profoundly impact patient recovery, staff efficiency and overall well-being.

“Healing architecture addresses environmental stressors like noise, lack of privacy, and physical barriers,” Sakhiwo elaborates, “to create healthcare settings that cater to both the physical and emotional needs of patients. By incorporating elements such as natural light, stimulating and revitalising colours, and efficient spatial organisation, this approach helps to create a holistic healing environment.”

Natural light is critical in both healthcare and hospital design alike, impacting our psychological and physiological well-being and even accelerating post-operative recovery and enhancing pain relief, Sakhiwo underscores. “By integrating natural light into healthcare environments, hospitals can create spaces that promote faster healing and better patient outcomes. Incorporating architectural elements such as large windows and skylights is essential in redesigning healthcare facilities as instruments of healing,” it continues, citing Maggie’s Centres across the UK as examples of how such design principles can transform therapeutic environments.

“The principles observed in these centres exemplify the profound impact that architectural elements can have on creating therapeutic environments and foster a healing atmosphere that reduces anxiety, speeds up recovery and improves overall satisfaction with care.”

TOMORROW’S HOSPITAL

From harnessing the power of the natural to broaching the furthest stretches of innovation, Sakhiwo is, too, deploying technology in shaping tomorrow’s hospital. In an era characterised by rapid technological advancement the healthcare sector is itself on the brink of significant transformation, and developments such as artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine and smart building systems are all poised to bridge some of the major gaps in healthcare delivery.

“With unmatched reach, technologies like AI have massive potential to address the critical shortage of healthcare professionals globally,” Sakhiwo recognises, before adding that, “telemedicine has evolved to revolutionise healthcare delivery, connecting patients and medical professionals regardless of geographical constraints and significantly improving healthcare accessibility and quality.”

The role of Internet of Things (IoT) services also looks set to be monumental in enhancing primary healthcare efficiency in South Africa’s rural regions, Sakhiwo states. “The integration of IoT technologies offers a lot of advantages as it can enable innovations which are vital for modernising healthcare infrastructure and ensuring responsive, personalised care.”

A facility set to open its doors in 2026, Sakhiwo has applied the sum of its experience, aspiration and innovation to the design, construction and commissioning of the new 488-bed state-of-the-art academic hospital greenfield development in Polokwane for the University of Limpopo Medical School, one of five such flagship academic hospitals in the country.

Initial planning began in the 2008/09 financial year, with a master plan approved by the National Treasury in 2022. “The establishment of a specialist hospital in this province will bolster the health sciences education and training, creating more opportunities for future generations to pursue careers in health sciences,” announced former Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, adding that the facility – in association with the health science faculty of the University of Limpopo – will make a significant contribution to health education and research.

“This Limpopo Central Hospital will be one of the pillars to deliver the National Health Insurance,” Phaala underlined. “This will not be an ivory tower, but part of a network based on the foundation of primary healthcare.”