Medical equipment dumped by Limpopo government

The Limpopo government is dumping medical equipment while patients in the province go without basics like beds, baby incubators and wheelchairs (click here).

During an inspection of Polokwane hospital, the DA was shocked to discover piles of medical equipment such as wheelchairs (click), beds (click),incubators (click), trolleys and photocopy machines being dumped behind the hospital.

The equipment appeared to have only minor defects and in some cases appeared to be in perfectly good shape. We have reason to believe that the medical equipment has been lying there for more than a year without being repaired.

The DA wants an urgent meeting with Health MEC Dipuo Letsatsi Duba to explain why the Limpopo government is dumping medical equipment instead of repairing it.

This senseless practice has been uncovered just months after the DA exposed how the Education Department was burning and shredding perfectly usable textbooks.

The DA suspects that many other Limpopo hospitals are involved in the practice of dumping perfectly repairable medical equipment even while patients province-wide are subjected to under-equipped public healthcare facilities.

We will be conducting a widespread investigation into the destroying of medical equipment in Limpopo in the coming days.

Statement issued by Jacques Smalle MP, DA Limpopo Provincial Leader, September 11 2013

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