One in four Gauteng state hospitals has an acting CEO

25 August 2021

I am most concerned that eight of Gauteng’s 34 public hospitals have an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which contributes to poor patient care as they don’t have the authority of a permanent CEO.

Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi revealed this yesterday (24 August) in an oral reply to my questions at a sitting of the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, the following hospitals have acting CEOs:

Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital

Jubilee Hospital

Pretoria West Hospital

Bertha Gxowa Hospital

Far East Rand Hospital

Pholosong Hospital

Bheki Mlangeni Hospital

Sebokeng Hospital

This high number of acting hospital CEOs is another failed promise by Premier David Makhura who said two years ago that all hospitals would have permanent CEOs within 6 months.

A major reason for the high turn-over of hospital heads is that the wrong people are chosen, and are then suspended or fired because of wrongdoing.

At Far East Rand Hospital, for instance, the former CEO was hired despite facing charges that he falsified his overtime records, and he was only fired after a long disciplinary process.

Bheki Mlangeni has been in crisis because the CEO presided over scandals for many years and was finally placed on precautionary transfer in October last year.

The DA will hold Mokgethi to her promise that permanent CEOs will be appointed in all hospitals by the end of December this year.

It is essential that honest and competent people are appointed who will maximise patient care within the available budget. 

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 25 August 2021