DA to seek answers on denied hospital inspection

The Democratic Alliance will be demanding answers about why two of its members were allegedly barred from entering the Natalspruit Hospital.

The DA’s Gauteng shadow MEC for health‚ Jack Bloom‚ says that on April 2 security guards prevented him and colleague Dr Neil Campbell from doing an inspection visit at the new Natalspruit Hospital in Vosloorus.

According to Bloom‚ “head of security Vusi Mkhize appeared to be waiting for me as I had announced earlier in the week that I was going to visit the hospital”.

The reason for the visit‚ Bloom said‚ was Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s claim last month that the new facility’s electronic document management system meant inpatients only faced a 13-minute wait‚ and outpatients a 45-minute wait‚ for attention.

Bloom said that he and Campbell were “told…very rudely that we could not enter” without an appointment and a man identifying himself as Dan Molefe told Campbell to “go to hell”.

“This latest incident reflects badly on Gauteng Premier David Makhura who says that he and his MECs will make unannounced visits‚ but allows his Health MEC to obstruct me in this matter‚” said Bloom.

“I will be demanding answers about the poor behaviour of staff at the Natalspruit Hospital in barring us‚ and I will insist that every MPL has the right to make unannounced visits in terms of the Constitution so that we can see for ourselves what is happening in public institutions.”