Gauteng health department still undecided about future of Kempton Park Hospital

The deaths of ten babies in the overcrowded Tembisa Hospital late last year has again put the closed Kempton Park Hospital in the spotlight.

Despite several previous announcements about the hospital’s possible future, it seems the Gauteng department of health has still not made a decision, reports Kempton Express.

The DA this week again called on the department to make a decision about Kempton Park Hospital.

Refiloe Nt’sekhe, MPL and DA Tembisa constituency head, on Wednesday said the DA had learnt that the department is considering a range of options with regards to the future of the abandoned Kempton Park Hospital building.

“This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Health, Bandile Masuku, in a written reply to DA questions tabled in the Gauteng provincial legislature,” she said.

According to her, Masuku said there were three options on the table: renovation of the existing hospital and re-opening it as a district hospital; renovation of the existing hospital as Folateng Hospital, or demolishing the existing buildings and building a compliant district hospital.

“The MEC indicated the Folateng Hospital proposal was rejected by the private health sector in Kempton Park, and a decision was taken to renovate the existing hospital buildings and convert them to a district hospital.

“The estimated cost for the demolition of the hospital is R127,729,665 million, and the estimated cost for the new district hospital R1,569,850,810 billion,” added Nt’sekhe.

The DA called on Masuku to make a decision as a matter of urgency as Tembisa Hospital is struggling to service people from Kempton Park and neighbouring suburbs.

“If this hospital is refurbished and re-opened it will help to ease pressure at Tembisa and Edenvale hospitals, which are currently overcrowded and unable to render adequate health services to our people.”

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