R215 million to fix unsafe Gauteng Hospitals is returned to Treasury

28 November 2022

The Democratic Alliance condemns the incredible incompetence that sees the Gauteng Health Department lose R215 million to fix unsafe hospitals because they failed to spend it.

According to the adjustment budget that Gauteng Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo unveiled last week, the “delays in the implementation of occupational health and safety infrastructure projects causes a surrender of R214.7 million to the Provincial Revenue Fund.”

This is despite the assessment that 19 out of 37 Gauteng public hospitals do not meet the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Non-compliant hospitals include the following:

Edenvale Hospital
Leratong Hospital
Yusuf Dadoo Hospital
South Rand Hospital
Far East Rand Hospital
Pholosong Hospital
Thelle Mogoerane Hospital
Mamelodi Hospital
Odi Hospital
Pretoria West Hospital
Tshwane District Hospital
Lenasia South Hospital
Heidelberg Hospital

The Department blames the underspending on the slow processing of invoices and the failure to create Purchase Orders for contracts.

Also, to blame is the corrupt and incompetent Department of Infrastructure Development as they rarely choose decent contractors who finish the job in time and within budget.

Meanwhile, patients and staff face the danger of unsafe hospitals.

This is what you get after years of ANC cadre deployment and corruption.

Former premier David Makhura promised repeatedly to “turn around” the Gauteng Health Department, and Premier Panyaza Lesufi makes the same baseless promises.

Real progress will only happen when the ANC is ejected from the provincial government.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 28 November 2022