Joint statement by the Western Cape Government, City of Cape Town and Discovery Health
CTICC ‘vaccination centre of hope’ to lead with Public-Private sector collaboration
The Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town, together with Discovery Health are pleased to jointly announce a pioneering collaboration between the public and private health sectors at the ‘Mass Vaccination Centre of Hope’ at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
In line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Western Cape Department of Health and Discovery Health, the two parties will partner to jointly operate the mass vaccination centre to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccinations for uninsured and insured residents in the Metro.
In line with this pioneering partnership,
- The Western Cape Government will be primarily responsible for overall coordination, supply of vaccine, clinical and facilities management.
- Discovery Health will be responsible for client experience, various aspects of the technology solution and administrative functions.
The parties will jointly manage the site day-to-day to ensure that it runs efficiently and effectively, ensuring a seamless vaccination experience for all who attend, both medical scheme members and uninsured residents of the Metro.
By collaborating in this way, the CTICC will be one of the largest and most sophisticated vaccination sites in the country, leveraging the combined resources and capacity of both the public and private sector, and thereby accelerating access to vaccination for greater numbers of residents.
- As a result of this partnership, the CTICC mass vaccination site is expected to administer over 750 000 vaccinations over 6 months.
- It is envisaged the site will go live in early July, with an initial contract period to mid-December 2021.
- 50 vaccination stations are planned at the site, with the related administrative and support staff in place to support operations.
- Vaccinations will be free of charge for everyone visiting the site, enabled by payment agreements between medical aids and the Department of Health to provide a hassle-free experience to all residents.
- The site will have sophisticated cold-chain refrigeration, waste management processes and IT infrastructure, and the capability to administer both the Pfizer-BioNTech double dose and Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccines.
All residents who have registered for their COVID-19 vaccine on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS), regardless of whether they have medical aid or not, will be eligible to be scheduled for vaccination at the site when it’s their turn to be vaccinated.
Premier Alan Winde welcomed this collaboration and thanked Discovery Health for supporting the vaccination programme in the Western Cape and South Africa.
“Every person, no matter where they live, or what they earn, should have access to life-saving vaccines, and so I warmly welcome this collaboration with Discovery. This project clearly demonstrates the importance of the private sector in our province and what can be achieved when we work together with them. I hope this is the first of many more public-private sector collaborations in this space, and I look forward to the site opening soon.”
Ryan Noach, CEO of Discovery Health commented: “Discovery has worked closely with the National Department of Health and B4SA to support various aspects of South Africa’s COVID-19 response and the National Mass Vaccination Programme. We are delighted to further this work through partnering with the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town to accelerate the rollout of the vaccination campaign in Cape Town. We are particularly proud that this site will provide access to vaccines for all residents, including Discovery Health members, members of other medical schemes and people who do not have medical aid.”
“Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires a collaborative effort across all spheres of government, as well as the private sector to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to support the national vaccination campaign. The City of Cape Town and partners jointly began preparation for the site in March 2021 to determine how the site would be managed, its layout and the associated costs to ensure the City’s venue is able to facilitate the mass vaccination campaign. A partnership with the private sector is vital as the rollout is ramped up. The City is pleased to be part of this effort to help ensure greater access to COVID-19 vaccinations,” said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
Everyone over the age of 60 is currently eligible to register for their COVID-19 vaccine on EVDS, and is urged to do so by using any of the following steps:
- Visit http://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/ (which can also be accessed on www.westerncape.gov.za)
- WhatsApp the word REGISTER to 0600 123456
- Dial *134*832*ID number# if you don’t have internet access;
- Visit your local library or Cape Access Centre for support.
For media queries, contact:
Cayla Ann Tomas Murray
Spokesperson to the Premier
Western Cape Government
Cell: 064 121 7959 /
Tel: 021 483 5004
E-mail: cayla.murray@westerncape.gov.za
Greg Wagner
Spokesperson to the Executive Mayor
Mayor’s Office
Cell: 072 623 4499
E-mail: greg.wagner@capetown.gov.za (please always copy media.account@capetown.gov.za)
Discovery
E-mail: Media_relations_team@discovery.co.za
