The Lenmed Story
Hospitals Caring for Communities
The Lenmed Private Hospitals are deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Southern Africa. They have provided exceptional and affordable private care to the communities they serve for over three decades.
The Hospital Group’s story began during South Africa’s troubled times of Apartheid, in 1984, when the first Lenmed Clinic opened its doors in Lenasia. It had 47 beds, 4 wards and 2 theatres, and offered the people living in the community quality clinical care at affordable prices.
This was unheard of at a time when a large sector of South African society was being deprived of decent medical care. Lenmed Clinic in Lenasia would eventually become the Group’s flagship facility, Ahmed Kathrada Private Hospital. With state of the art facilities and over 80 specialist medical practitioners in residence, it stands proudly today as a testament to Lenmed’s excellence in clinical care.
Communities such as the one in Lenasia were in need of good hospitals all over South Africa and medical institutions where people’s health needs would receive immediate attention. Places where the unwell would be met with care and consideration. So, it wasn’t surprising when Lenmed hospitals began to spring up all around the country.
In 1992, Lenmed bought a stake in La Verna Private Hospital in Ladysmith and by 2004 owned the hospital outright. Ever since then Lenmed has set up high-quality private hospitals in various provinces throughout South Africa as well as beyond our borders in Mozambique and Botswana. Currently, Lenmed owns and manages 12 hospitals.
Since the Lenmed Group was formed in 2007, it has achieved some remarkable milestones. The first neuro-surgery was performed at Maputo Private Hospital in March 2018. Then, in April 2018 there was yet another first when the Royal Hospital and Heart Centre in Kimberley performed an open-heart surgery, the first ever in the Northern Cape. This excellent hospital also recently added a radiotherapy centre as part of its oncology offering. It is now the only facility in the province to offer both chemotherapy and radiotherapy services to patients with cancer.
The Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in Durban only just celebrated its genius heart surgeon Professor Kinsley’s 50th year of performing paediatric cardiac surgery. This coincided with the launch of the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa, which will provide life-saving cardiac surgery to children who normally cannot afford it. Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre recently proved its exceptional ability in clinical care by being placed in the Top 20 Discovery Hospitals of 2017.
The Ahmed Kathrada Private Hospital in Lenasia also recently opened a nuclear medicine diagnostic unit as part of the Ahmed Kathrada Cancer Institute. It offers holistic cancer treatments including the latest chemotherapy, radiotherapy and diagnostic nuclear medicine options.
There is a culture of caring, dedication and community involvement behind the Lenmed Group of hospitals, and because of this they have developed a reputation for making a difference to thousands of lives in South Africa and Africa.
Today, Lenmed hospitals are ranked in the top five medical groups in South Africa in terms of size, offering private clinical care in world-class facilities, with some of the best doctors, for people and communities who need it the most.