Increasing the staff complement at the troubled Sebokeng Hospital will help it in improving service delivery. 

This is according to Gauteng’s health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku who visited the hospital on Wednesday morning. Masuku, along with premier David Makhura, highlighted issues that need to be addressed at the hospital. 

Sebokeng Hospital is one of 10 hospitals that have been identified as being plagued by overcrowding and understaffing that have hampered the services provided to its communities in the province. 

“This hospital has a human resources problem and that’s mainly due to its classification which fails to attract personnel. One of the things that need to be done to improve it is increasing the intake of personnel,” Masuku said. 

He said the hospital has been disadvantaged due to its classification.  “We will see if the hospital can be reclassified in order for it to be able to be eligible for a rural allowance. This will then help us in attracting and retaining staff,” Masuku said. 

Masuku and Makhura did a walkabout in which they interacted with patients.

Makhura said he was pleased with the improvement the hospital was able to make since his 2016 visit.  “When I came here three years ago this place was completely chaotic. I see significant improvement. There was a problem with equipment as well but that has been resolved. This in turn means that waiting time has been cut down for patients,” he said. 

Tshepo Mofokeng, a patient at the hospital, said he had been waiting in a queue for two hours and expressed his dissatisfaction with the waiting period. 

“I am yet to receive my file and I’ve been here since 7am. The queues in the past used to be longer but the hospital has improved some of its services. I am unhappy with how long I have been waiting, but I must admit that it’s better than what it was before.”