Dr Tim de Maayer gets written warning for his open letter

2 August 2022

A written warning has been given to Dr Tim de Maayer for writing an open letter in May this year about appalling conditions at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.

This is revealed by Acting Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Nkomo-Ralehoko, the Hospital CEO Dr Nozuko Mkabayi took the decision to suspend him. The reasons were “Transgression of internal communications policy and the Public Services code of conduct.”

Dr Mkabayi’s role in the suspension was “sanctioning the inception of the disciplinary process (precautionary suspension letter to enable an unhindered investigation).”

Nkomo-Ralehoko says that after the withdrawal of his suspension the “parties agreed on issuing of a written warning.”

I think it is outrageous that Dr de Maayer was sanctioned for following his conscience in exposing how terrible hospital conditions led to the deaths of his young patients.

Meanwhile, there will be no disciplinary action against the hospital CEO for her vindictiveness against de Maayer as Nkomo-Ralehoko says “the Department has not yet established any wrongdoing by the CEO.”

The DA believes that disciplinary action against the CEO is warranted, as well as effective measures to fix the problems identified by Dr de Maayer.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 2 August 2022