KZN provincial hospitals are having a leadership crisis and intervention is urgently needed, according to the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA), which has challenged the government to deal with the issue as a matter of priority.
At least eight hospitals have acting CEOs, and in a statement this week, the association said it was alarmed by that situation, and that several institutions with acting management positions were in a state of chaos “that undermines service delivery”.
The affected facilities are Vryheid Hospital (with an acting CEO), Benedictine Hospital (acting CEO), Ceza Hospital (acting CEO), Grey’s Hospital (acting CEO), Newcastle Hospital (acting CEO), Florence Mxenge Hospital (acting CEO), McCord Hospital (acting CEO), Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital (acting CEO as well as an acting deputy director-general: corporate management services, acting deputy director-general: clinical and support services and acting deputy director-general: clinical support).
“Acting positions at executive management level …and resulting instability contribute significantly to the many challenges faced by the institutions,” said association spokesperson Mlungisi Ndlovu.
Some of the acting positions are held by people who have reached retirement age, reports The Witness.
“It is unacceptable to have retired managers in senior positions for more than three years. These positions should be advertised, through a transparent recruitment process, allowing experienced people to take on the roles,” he added
“The projected overspending in the department for 2023/24 was around R9bn. Failure to fill positions permanently does not assist senior managers in addressing the many crises. The PSA views this as a failure by the department head and his MEC to prioritise these positions. Some individuals face serious allegations of maladministration yet are still seconded for acting positions.”
It was also unacceptable, Ndlovu said, that Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital had had an acting CEO for more than four years.
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