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, who 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 Gauteng Health to the Gauteng legislature’s health committee. 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.
All 32 hospitals need expensive building alterations, ranging from R11 million for the Rahima Moosa Hospital to a whopping R810 million for the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Other hospitals that require extensive refurbishment for safety reasons include the following:
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital – R394 million
Helen Joseph Hospital – R379 million
Edenvale Hospital – R278 million
Kalafong Hospital – R267 million
Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital – R262 million
George Mukhari Hospital – R246 million
Kopanong Hospital – R229 million
Tembisa Hospital – R222 million
Jubilee Hospital – R219 million
Leratong Hospital – R217 million
Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital – R208 million
Tambo Memorial Hospital – R200 million
South Rand Hospital – R187 million
Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital – R184 million
Far East Rand Hospital – R184 million
Carletonville Hospital – R181 million
Sebokeng Hospital – R177 million
Yusuf Dadoo Hospital – R166 million
Critical areas include 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 3-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), but the Department is submitting proposals for R1.7 billion for the 10 worst hospitals in the province.
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.
[link url="https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/r6-billion-needed-for-gauteng-hospitals-to-be-safe"]The Times report[/link]