Gauteng hospitals need R6bn to be safety compliant, says the DA

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has said that R6 billion was needed for hospitals in the province to be safety compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

DA member of the provincial legislature (MPL) Jack Bloom said in a statement on Monday that this “bad condition” of hospitals in Gauteng was revealed in a presentation by the Gauteng health department to the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee on Friday last week.

“All 32 hospitals need expensive building alterations, ranging from R11 million for the Rahima Moosa Hospital to a whopping R810 million for the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital,” Bloom said.

He said other hospitals that required extensive refurbishment for safety reasons include the following:

• Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital – R394 million
• Helen Joseph Hospital – R379 million
• Edenvale Hospital – R278 million
• Kalafong Hospital – R267 million
• Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital – R262 million
• George Mukhari Hospital – R246 million
• Kopanong Hospital – R229 million
• Tembisa Hospital – R222 million
• Jubilee Hospital – R219 million
• Leratong Hospital – R217 million
• Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital – R208 million
• Tambo Memorial Hospital – R200 million
• South Rand Hospital – R187 million
• Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital – R184 million
• Far East Rand Hospital – R184 million
• Carletonville Hospital – R181 million
• Sebokeng Hospital – R177 million
• Yusuf Dadoo Hospital – R166 million

“Critical areas include general machinery regulations, electrical installation regulations, firefighting equipment, lift regulations, storage, exits, stairs and aisles.

“There is very little funding for this in the three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), but the department is submitting proposals for R1.7 billion for the 10 worst hospitals in the province.

“I doubt whether the money will be made available in view of budget tightening by the National Treasury,” the statement reads.

Bloom said the R6 billion was most likely “an underestimate as the department of infrastructure development is notorious for choosing contractors that fail to deliver, pushing up costs”.

“I am alarmed that years of poor maintenance have resulted in not a single Gauteng Hospital that is compliant with safety legislation.

“This means that none of them can be part of Government’s National Health Insurance (NHI) as they need to be accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC).

“We will never solve our health problems if government doesn’t improve its management dramatically and spend money efficiently and effectively.”

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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