Gauteng health department fails to spend over R908m – Jack Bloom

This year's figure is a sharp increase from the R631.4 million underspent by the department in the last financial year.

Shadow Gauteng Health MEC Jack Bloom says patients suffer when there is a lack of vital equipment, but the department said patient care was not at all compromised. Picture: Northcliff Melville Times.

After yet another year of not being able to make full use of its allocated budget, DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom has registered is disappointment in the Gauteng health department.

According to a statement issued by Bloom, the department failed to spend R908.5 million in the financial year that ended on 31 March 2020 despite the dire need in the province’s hospitals and clinics.

“This is revealed in the department’s Fourth Quarterly Report that was recently tabled in the Gauteng Legislature. The biggest underspend was R1.8 billion in District Health Services which is attributed to delays in filling of vacant positions,” wrote Bloom.

He further explained that Emergency Medical Services failed to spend R100 million, while provincial hospital services registered an underspend of R230 million which is attributed to delays with the creation and filling of vacant posts, and delays with the delivery of machinery and equipment.

“The overall underspend would have been higher but was offset to some extent by an overspend of R505 million as a result of payments of medico-legal claims and related legal fees. There were some overspends in other programmes as well which shows poor financial management.”

This year’s figure is a sharp increase from the R631.4 million underspent by the department in the last financial year.

“Continuing poor management will hinder the provision of quality health services, especially with the current huge challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic,” concluded Bloom.

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