The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng is calling for heads to roll as National Treasury has refused the Gauteng Health Department’s request for R291 million to fill 1180 critical vacancies. This means hospital patients will get no relief from crushingly long queues and waiting times.
The Department revealed this in a presentation to the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee last week.
According to their 2024/25 recruitment plan, the 1180 posts included strategic, clinical, clinical support, senior management, and administrative staff. They requested approval to advertise the posts in line with Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Directives on the filling of vacancies.
But Treasury turned it down due to the Department’s projected over-expenditure on Cost of Employment (COE). This is understandable in view of the provincial government’s vast waste and incorrect spending priorities.
The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH) is badly affected, with no Head of Department (HOD) for Surgery, and no Heads of Unit (HOU) for Acute Care Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ICU, General Radiology, and Paediatrics Radiology.
Kalafong Hospital does not have a HOD for Orthopaedics, and there is no HOD of Internal Medicine at Tembisa Hospital.
Empty HOU positions include the following:
• HOU for Anaesthesia at Rahima Moosa Hospital
• HOU for Psychiatry at Tshwane District Hospital
• HOU for Radiology, and HOU for Anaesthesia, at Helen Joseph Hospital
• HOU for Psychiatry, and HOU for Radiology, at Tembisa Hospital
Furthermore, there are 377 unfilled professional nurse positions, including a shortage of 49 professional nurses at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, 36 at CHBH, 29 at Helen Joseph Hospital, 18 at Rahima Moosa Hospital, and 16 at the Thelle Moegerane Hospital.
Tshwane District Health Services is short of a whopping 72 professional nurses, and Sedibeng District Health Services is short of 28 professional nurses.
According to the Department, the consequences of unfilled posts include:
• Postponement of surgeries.
• Temporarily closing some of the departments.
• Patient care compromised exposing the Department to Litigation.
• Learning and teaching affected and subsequently de-accreditation.
• Temporarily closing some of the departments and schedule surgeries and postmortems.
This disaster for hospital patients is caused by the appalling mismanagement and corruption of the Gauteng Health Department.
The DA Gauteng calls on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to fire Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and HOD Lesiba Malotana who have failed to ensure quality healthcare in Gauteng.