The loss of about 4000 staff who were appointed on temporary contracts to assist with the Covid-19 epidemic will hit Gauteng hospitals hard.
According to the Gauteng Health Department, they received a R2.2 billion Covid grant last year to appoint the staff on temporary one-year contracts in 2020. These contracts were extended to 31 March this year, but 50% of these contracts will not be extended further.
The loss of posts is devastating because hospitals are chronically under-staffed even without the burden of Covid cases.
In the case of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH) they will lose more than 400 posts, putting even more stress on those who remain.
This also highlights the inexplicable policy of hiring Cuban doctors when local doctors are unemployed.
I estimate that more than R2 billion of Covid grant money was wasted because of corruption, misplaced priorities and incompetency.
This includes R700 million on the empty Anglo Ashanti Hospital in the Far West Rand, R500 million on empty wards at CHBH, R200 million on uncompleted wards at Kopanong Hospital, as well as wasteful spending on the NASREC field hospital, and the PPE corruption.
The Democratic Alliance will continue to campaign for proper budget spending to ensure that hospitals are fully staffed to serve patients.