Gauteng hospitals are in such bad condition that it will cost about R6bn to make them compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said the poor state of the 32 hospitals meant that none of them can be part of government’s National Health Insurance as they needed to be accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance.
Bloom said the amount of R6bn was revealed in a presentation by the Gauteng health department to the Gauteng legislature’s health committee on Friday.
Bloom said all these hospitals needed expensive building alterations, ranging from R11m for the Rahima Moosa Hospital to a “whopping” R810m for the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
He said critical areas included general machinery regulations, electrical installation regulations, fire-fighting equipment, lift regulations, storage, exits, stairs and aisles.
“There is very little funding for this in the three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework, but the department was submitting proposals for R1.7bn for the 10 worst hospitals in the province,” Bloom said.
R6bn needed to fix 32 Gauteng hospitals to be safety compliant
Gauteng hospitals are in such bad condition that it will cost about R6bn to make them compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said the poor state of the 32 hospitals meant that none of them can be part of government’s National Health Insurance as they needed to be accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance.
Bloom said the amount of R6bn was revealed in a presentation by the Gauteng health department to the Gauteng legislature’s health committee on Friday.
Bloom said all these hospitals needed expensive building alterations, ranging from R11m for the Rahima Moosa Hospital to a “whopping” R810m for the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
He said critical areas included general machinery regulations, electrical installation regulations, fire-fighting equipment, lift regulations, storage, exits, stairs and aisles.
“There is very little funding for this in the three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework, but the department was submitting proposals for R1.7bn for the 10 worst hospitals in the province,” Bloom said.
Bloom said the R6bn was probably an underestimate as the Department of Infrastructure Development was notorious for choosing contractors that failed 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 as they need to be accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC).”
Bloom said the country would never solve health problems if government did not improve its management dramatically and spend money efficiently and effectively.
He said other hospitals that required extensive refurbishment for safety reasons included: