Some say it was horrible to be treated there, others praise it as a great state institution and today the Department Infrastructure Development (DID) Portfolio Committee, a non-political committee, came to see for themselves how Leratong State Regional Hospital is doing.
But what they found was that the state of the hospital had generally improved. The South African Medical and Educational Foundation (Same) started various renovations projects in and around the hospital that amounted to about R5 million.
“There is clearly an improvement in the internal and private sector’s help in bettering the hospital, but we as government have a responsibility to do our part,” the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of the DID, Lindiwe Lasindwa, told the News.
The hospital receives an annual overview from the committee, who ensure that the promises the DID make, are kept.
The committee paid an unannounced visit to the hospital, walking in and out of various wards to determine what needs to be done. Most of the wards were recently renovated by either by Same or by the hospital itself.
For more photos of the inside of Leratong hospital and the renovated wards, click here.
“We used the budget that is allocated to us annually to renovate ward 17 and the Gynecology ward, among others,” the hospital Chief Executive Officer, Joe Dube, said.
Lasindwa commented that the labour and neonatal wards look very similar to that of a private hospital’s wards.
“But the antenatal ward needs serious attention,” she added.
Dube explained to the committee that the hospital has been asking the DID to renovate the antenatal ward since 2011.
But all things considered, Dube made it clear that the biggest problem the state regional hospital faces, is overcrowding. According to him, the hospital is too small for the ever-growing population and more casualty and out-patient facilities are needed.
Judging by the complaints the News receives from our readers about state institutions like Leratong, patients are mostly unhappy not about the infrastructure, but about mistreatment by hospital staff.
Quik facts about Leratong:
• There is a minimum of 30 to 40 minutes waiting time for out-patients
• The hospital is 40 years old this year
• There are 855 usable beds
• The last financial year shows Leratong treated about 260 000 out-patients
Related articles:
• Amid community outcry, Leratong is adding 42 beds
• Seun herstel na ‘n goor ervaring by hospitaal
• Are our public hospitals in a state?
