DA welcomes new Gauteng hospital CEOs

1 November 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the 11 new hospital CEOs announced yesterday by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku.

They will have a tough job in fixing hospitals that have been without top leadership for years in some cases.

Dr Naing Soe is a particularly good choice for the troubled Mamelodi Hospital. He was previously head of Tshwane District Hospital where I always found him to be hands-on and attentive to complaints.

I am concerned, however, that no suitable person was found for the Bertha Gxowa, Jubilee and Heidelberg hospitals.

I am also puzzled why the vacant CEO posts have not been advertised for the Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph hospitals. The busy Rahima Moosa Hospital has been without a CEO since July last year, and Helen Joseph since the beginning of this year.

Why has this been allowed to continue?Positions have not been filled at the Thelle Mogoerane and George Mukhari Hospitals where the CEOs have been suspended for more than a year.

Premier David Makhura promised that all hospitals would have full-time CEOs in the first 100 days, but there are at least 7 out of the 32 hospitals where this has not been achieved.

This failure is most disappointing, and does not give confidence that the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) will meet its targets either.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 1 November 2019