Weskoppies hospital was named as one of the hospitals without a permanent CEO. Photo: Wikipedia
A hospital in the west of Pretoria has been named as one of 12 hospitals in Gauteng without a permanent CEO.
The Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria Townlands was one of two Pretoria hospitals named in the list, along with Mamelodi, by DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom.
Bloom said he received the names in a response to his Gauteng Legislature question to Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku.
“Twelve out of 32 Gauteng hospitals have acting CEOs, and four out of five districts have acting chief directors as well,” Bloom said.
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According to Bloom, the following hospitals do not have permanent CEOs: Sebokeng, Mamelodi, Weskoppies, Pholosong, Far East Rand, Tambo Memorial, Jubilee, Edenvale, Heidelburg, Bronkhorspruit, Cullinan Care and Rehabilitation Centre, and Bertha Gxowa.
Bloom said there were 34 senior management posts among 136 unfilled positions in across the department “including head office, all hospitals and clinics”.
He said this has cost the department R6,281,871 between April and July 2019.
“I am appalled that more than a third of Gauteng state hospitals do not have a permanent CEO, some for as long as two years,” he said.
“I saw this problem for myself yesterday when I visited the troubled Mamelodi hospital, which has not had a permanent CEO since May last year.”
Bloom said the “huge” number of acting personnel in key positions was a “major” reason for poor performance.
“High calibre people need to be recruited as soon as possible to fill these positions,” he said.
Weskoppies hospital did not comment at the time of going to print.
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