Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Dr Jack Bloom.
The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng is demanding a rescue mission for the Tembisa Hospital after the Gauteng Health Department’s poor response to my exposé of its huge vacancies and equipment shortages.
They claim they are fast-tracking the recruitment process, but their own figures show only 40 of the 213 vacant positions are being filled. This does not include the crucial CEO position nor the five Head of Unit posts, so top leadership at the hospital continues to be impaired.
Vital medical equipment, including ventilators, examination lamps, mobile screens, and anaesthetic machines, will only be delivered later in the financial year that ends on 31 March 2027.
They admit that the current shortage of ventilators means that “not all patients with respiratory failure can be supported, leading to possible increased mortality.”
And with examination lamps, there is “poor visibility during examinations and risk of missed diagnoses.”
Furthermore, they fail to give a date or a detailed plan as to when the sections damaged by fire in April last year will be fully repaired. This has crippled emergency services, with critically ill cases and psychiatric patients diverted to other hospitals already under strain, including the Steve Biko, Edenvale, and Tambo Memorial hospitals.
The Department has terribly neglected this hospital despite the loss of more than R2 billion paid to fake companies for undelivered goods and services.
The DA will continue to push for a rescue mission for Tembisa Hospital, so it is fully staffed and equipped as a tertiary facility as called for by the Health Ombud.