DA concerned about bloated food prices paid by Gauteng hospitals

Eleven Gauteng hospitals have paid R1.7 million for over-priced food from a business training company in Limpopo, Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed in a written reply to the DA.

The party’s Gauteng shadow MEC for health Jack Bloom said the bloated food bill was revealed to his follow-up questions surrounding “a fishy Limpopo contract” being used that includes companies not registered to sell food.

Overpriced food

Bloom said Leratong Hospital bought the most food from Mmanko Business Training and IT Solutions, including one litre milk at R32 while supermarkets sell milk for R16.

“R1 263 was paid for 10kg Chicken frozen breast, compared to R650 elsewhere. Frozen hake is another over-priced item, with 5kg costing R1 173 instead of R850 elsewhere. The only reasonable value was 60 large eggs for R193.”

“Another poor value item was R12 139 that the Sizwe Tropical Hospital paid Mmanko for 540 Mageu 500ml cartons, which works out to R22.50 a carton as opposed to R10 at most supermarkets,” Bloem said.

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Suspicious

Bloem added it was “highly suspicious” that Mmanko Business Training and IT Solutions was on the food list for a Limpopo Department of Health contract that the Gauteng Department of Health decided to “piggyback on.”

“Other fishy companies on the list that have sold a wide variety of groceries to Gauteng hospitals include NM Motors and Workshop, Madics Security and Projects, and Musa Security Care. The departments says that fresh vegetables, chicken breast and wings, milk, cheese, and yoghurt are still being bought using the Limpopo contract.

Bloem added that the department said it had spent a total of R23.6 million buying food for Gauteng hospitals through the Limpopo contract as they are still preparing contracts to buy food locally.

“It is ridiculous to buy over-priced food from a dodgy contract in another province when there are many local food suppliers with competitive prices.”

“The DA calls for an immediate halt to food purchases using the Limpopo contract, and an urgent investigation into who authorised it and who benefits from it,” Bloom said.

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