Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg has failed to spend a whopping R98 million budgeted for machinery and equipment over the last five years, despite the hospital’s desperate need for upgrades.
The hospital was recently thrust into the spotlight after media personality Tom London, real name Thomas Holmes, exposed what he called the non-functional medical equipment, poor infrastructure and negligence at the hospital on social media through a video that went viral.
This underspend was revealed by Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in the response to questions from DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom.
“The hospital’s struggles are multifaceted. Built over 70 years ago, it requires urgent upgrades to its water infrastructure, wards, offices, and air handling units. However, instead of addressing these critical needs, the hospital has overspent on staff compensation in two of the past five years,” Bloom said.
He said some of the challenges the hospital faced were ageing infrastructure as wards and offices were in dire need of repair while 32 administration and support staff vacancies remain unfilled, with all posts now frozen by the department.
He added that funding shortages, delayed responses from infrastructure partners, vandalism and insufficient artisans hindered preventative maintenance.
“The hospital’s poor financial management is further compounded by its lack of permanent leadership, with no CEO in place since May last year. This leadership vacuum has severe implications for the hospital’s ability to effectively utilise its R1.7 billion budget,” he said.
He continued to slam the hospital’s failure to spend the allocated funds, citing poor financial management and a lack of leadership.
Bloom demanded the appointment of a “top-notch” CEO to address the hospital’s pressing needs and ensure effective budget utilisation.
Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba referred questions to Nkomo-Ralehoko’s responses to the legislature.
However, having visited the hospital after London’s video, Nkomo-Ralehoko had said: “There are known infrastructure issues which are being attended to as part of the maintenance and refurbishment programme. However, these have not had a material effect on the treatment given to patients admitted at the hospital,” she said.
The Star