Hardly any of the government hospitals in Gauteng have fire clearance certificates, floor plans or fire detection systems, with some not even having emergency exits, according to Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
When asked by the DA how often hospitals were inspected for fire and infrastructure safety, the MEC said the last fire safety inspection at Dr George Mukhari Hospital was carried out by the City of Tshwane Municipality in 2016, reports News24.
Sebokeng Hospital has not been inspected by the fire and infrastructure department, neither has Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital, and Nkomo-Ralehoko said Weskoppies Hospital was last inspected by a Tshwane Municipality law enforcement officer in 2018.
“There were findings that they had to work on, some of which could be corrected by the Weskoppies Hospital's environmental health practitioner,” she said.
The only two hospitals with valid fire certificates were the Thelle Mogoerane and Bertha Gxowa Hospitals.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said other hospitals facing challenges were Tembisa – with non-compliance relating to infrastructure and insufficient fire equipment. At Helen Joseph Hospital, there were no floor plans and the fire detection did not cover all areas.
Meanwhile, the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital needed to be inspected and assessed for compliance and a fire detection system had to be installed.
The Far East Rand Hospital had no emergency exits, due to structural challenges and only some floors had emergency exit doors. South Rand Hospital, built in 1954, had old infrastructure and was declared non-compliant on 9 June 2021.
Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom said there had been at least eight provincial hospital fires in the past seven years, at the Charlotte Maxeke, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Steve Biko, Tambo, Bheki Mlangeni and Carletonville hospitals, “but none of them has adequate fire-prevention measures to prevent a repeat”.
News24 article – Several Gauteng public hospitals don't have valid fire certificates (Open access)
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Carletonville Hospital blaze was arson — Gauteng Health MEC