Makhura won’t list Gauteng’s worst hospitals, DA complains

The opposition says all the province's public hospitals are in trouble, but some of them are basically 'crime scenes'.

A patient is pictured at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospital, 8 November 2018. The SA Human rights commission conducted a site visit at the hospital following the reports of 9 infants dying due to a bacterial outbreak at the hospital. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

In a statement on Sunday, DA shadow health MEC Jack Bloom complained that Premier David Makhura had failed to clarify which were the five worst hospitals in Gauteng that would receive special intervention over the next 12 months, according to the premier.

“In the printed version of his state of the province speech (Sopa) there are only four hospitals listed – Mamelodi, Sebokeng, Bheki Mlangeni and Jubilee – but he also mentioned the Tambo Memorial and Tembisa hospitals.

“I asked the Premier in the debate on his Sopa speech last week on Thursday to clarify the five hospitals and why other extremely bad hospitals are left off the list.”

Bloom said that he considered the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital, where six babies died last year from klebsiella, a “crime scene”.

“This hospital was assessed at only 70% for the National Core Standards, below the target of 75% and less than Tambo Hospital which got 86%.

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“Another terrible hospital is George Mukhari in Ga-Rankuwa, which treats the poorest of the rural poor but is dreadfully neglected.”

He shared an emailed message from one Lisa Tolkin, “who visited her beloved old former helper at this hospital”.

Tolkin had written:

“I thought that a hospital was a place for the sick … All I saw were cages of neglect, cruelty, fear and hopelessness … The wards were separated by dirty fabric screens like shower curtains … I found Phina, her eyes were tortured and she was struggling to breathe … There was no oxygen, or a drip … I took Phina’s emaciated hand, I put her shaking head under my chin and asked her to breathe with me. I told her that she was going to a peaceful quiet place, where there was no suffering … I continued to talk to her gently and lovingly until she stopped struggling and went quiet … I ran around looking for a nurse or doctor to confirm that she was dead … All the patients watched Phina’s undignified death … (and there were) flies on her body.”

Bloom said the premier had ignored his plea in the debate to clarify the worst hospitals and why Thelle Mogoerane and George Mukhari had been left out.

“The truth is that all Gauteng’s public hospital need hefty improvements, but I agree that special attention be paid to the worst ones.”

(Compiled by Charles Cilliers)

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