PATIENTS at some of Gauteng's big clinics are spending four hours on average in queues to physically retrieve their files and go through other administration hurdles.

This is because two IT contracts, worth about R63-million and awarded as far back as 2008, have not been implemented and nothing has been done to sort them out.

The first contract relates to the implementation of smart health card technology that allows patients' information to be loaded on to a credit card-size card so that their files are more accessible .

Local Area Network at all clinics in the province was the other IT project . This technology would have allowed all clinics to have access to the internet and store patients' information on computer hardware .

These two contracts and other discrepancies were raised in the auditor-general's report, which criticised the department for excessive use of consultants.

Department spokesman Simon Zwane refused to comment on the two contracts.

Special Investigating Unit spokesman Boy Ndala did not want to comment on the cases the unit is investigating.

• mokhemam@timesmedia.co.za