Only 8 critically ill Covid patients treated at R500m Anglo Ashanti hospital

17 November 2021

Only 8 patients critically ill with Covid-19 have been treated at the Anglo Ashanti Hospital in the Far West Rand which has cost more than R540 million to refurbish and staff.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in an oral reply to my questions yesterday at a sitting of the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, 109 Covid patients in total were at the hospital between June and October this year.

This hospital has 175 approved beds, but only 15 beds were used for the Covid patients. All the beds were supposed to be high care or intensive care, so a mere 8 critical care patients shows what a waste of money this hospital has been in saving lives during this epidemic.

The money would have been better spent on existing hospitals that are short of staff and equipment.

Another scandal is that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered evidence of massive corruption and issued a preservation order to freeze about R7 million in the bank accounts of two contractors in this matter.

According to the SIU, the one company got a tender for R50 million which ballooned to more than R500 million.

It is alleged that the other company got a contract through a phone call!

Mokgethi says that the Anglo Ashanti Hospital will be combined with the Carletonville hospital to provide extra services in the area.

My view is that it is a white elephant in a remote area, and further money is more productively spent elsewhere to provide desperately needed extra health services.

Meanwhile, anyone who crooked the department in this matter should be prosecuted, and money recovered where possible.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 17 November 2021