Why is management at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital not held accountable for failures?

27 October 2019

The Gauteng Health Department is failing to hold the top management of the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto accountable despite a jobs-for-cash hiring scandal and the hospital being placed on the list of five worst hospitals in Gauteng.

I have come to this conclusion following a written reply by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

Masuku claims that “The hospital is performing well in terms of set national performance indicators. Classification of hospital as one of the worse performing hospitals was not only confined to management. Acknowledgement is made that there are community concerns, environmental factors, growing population of the catchment areas, diseases profile that is a moving targets, budgetary allocation and other resources to meet service demands.”

He concedes, however, that there have been 136 disciplinary actions against employees in the past three years, and 6 staff are currently facing disciplinary charges - 5 for irregular appointments and 1 for theft.

There were high hopes when this hospital was opened five years ago - it was a new hospital with a new staff. It is crystal clear that poor management is to blame for the employment scandals and its poor reputation amongst the public.

I am disappointed that MEC Masuku wishes to retain Hospital CEO Ruth Mabyana who shares the blame for what has gone wrong.

This hospital needs an entirely new top management untainted by past failures.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 27 October 2019