Academic hospitals shot in arm for rural varsities

Rural universities that do not have a tertiary hospital attached to them have expressed hope of having such facilities in the future to enhance academic teaching.

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

Only North West, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape do not have any academic hospitals affiliated with them.

Gauteng has at least six academic hospitals clustered around Pretoria and Johannesburg, the largest number in the country, followed by Cape Town.

Academic hospitals are referral hospitals designed to serve various purposes, including education, training for health care professionals, research and specialised and advanced health care by professionals and medical students as part of teaching and training and care of patients referred by regional and district hospitals.