Gauteng Health don’t value input from whistle-blowers – Outa

The Gauteng department of health’s lack of action and delay in suspending Tembisa Hospital chief executive Dr Ashley Mthunzi amid investigations of alleged corruption has once more proven that they do not value the input from whistle-blowers.

This is according to Wayne Duvenage, CEO of Organisation Undoing of Tax Abuse (Outa), who said the department has once again failed its whistle-blowers as they refused to take any action against the Mthunzi and provincial health chief financial officer (CFO) Lerato Madyo.

“They have sufficient evidence and they are investigating that should be enough to suspend her. If the department is going to send out a clear message of accountability, it needs to act decisively.”

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Just as they did with the issue at Rahema Moosa Mother and Daughter Hospital, Duvenage said “the CEO who was acting out of line and suspending people who are speaking out against her, the department is not sending a clear message that it values the input from whistle-blowers when it behaves in this way”.

Yesterday the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng shadow MEC for health, Jack Bloom, and the DA Tembisa South constituency head, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, held a picket outside Tembisa Hospital in Ekurhuleni calling for Mthunzi to be suspended.

The protest came after suspicious contracts in which the hospital was alleged to have procured 2 000 hand towels for about R230 each and 100 leather armchairs for R500 000.

It was reported the dodgy contracts were flagged by whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, who was murdered on 23 August 2021.

Bloom said while it had been more than two weeks since the suspicious contracts were exposed, nothing had been done so far, however, the money should have been spent on fixing the poor conditions for patients at the overcrowded hospital.

“The DA has called for the suspension of the department’s CFO… and we are now calling for the immediate suspension of the CEO of Tembisa Hospital,” Bloom said.

Meanwhile, Motalatale Modiba, spokesperson for Gauteng health, said they have also noted with concern damning allegations coming out of a series of stories published by various media houses, and in particular by the News24 as part of their ongoing investigation into circumstances surrounding Deokaran’s killing.

“We are aware of the march by the DA. The department is also on record about the issues they are marching about,” he said.

“Given that the issues related to the tragic death and murder of Ms Deokaran are still under investigation by law enforcement agencies the department prefers not to provide running commentary on the related matters.

“We will, however, update the public as and when the need arises in terms of further actions being taken by the department.”

He said the department wished to assure the public that decisive action would be taken against its employees who were found to have failed to discharge their responsibilities in line with the Public Finance Management Act and other applicable prescripts.

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