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Government blames poor administration

Alex Matlala

Alex Matlala

Helene Franz Hospital is known as "the hospital of death". In three months it recorded 172 deaths.

The hospital, in Senwabarwana in the Blouberg Municipality in Limpopo recorded the deaths from October to December 2008.

A total of 58 people died in October, 40 in November and 74 in December.

Statistics for the same period in 2007 are 17, 23 and 27, says a member of the task team that investigated conditions at the hospital last December.

Despite deteriorating conditions, the provincial government has not been allocated any money this financial year, says health and social development spokesman Phuti Seloba.

His department has no intention of allocating a special budget to the hospital this financial year.

Seloba says this is because there is "no crisis" that needs money, but only administrative problems that are currently being addressed by the department.

Seloba blames poor administration for the problems. The hospital's chief executive officer and his staff allegedly do not see eye-to-eye with the hospital board.

The board has its own interests, rather than those of the hospital's, Seloba says.

Seloba says the department is collecting information, which it will give to the board to "either shape up or ship out".

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