Note to Editors: Attached please find a soundbite in English by Madeleine Hicklin MPL
Patients seeking admission to the emergency department at Helen Joseph Tertiary Hospital have been advised to seek treatment at another hospital. This is putting patients’ lives and health in danger.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands that the Gauteng Department of Health MEC, Faith Mazibuko, urgently address the obvious human resource and contract renewal challenges that are dogging hospitals across Gauteng.
On 6 August 2026, Dr Patricia Saffy, Helen Joseph Tertiary Hospital Trauma Unit Head, posted a warning to all patients visiting the emergency department that they would be better served going to another hospital for treatment as the Gauteng Department of Health had not paid its staff, and some doctors had not come to work. Consequently, she stated that the emergency department would be closed throughout August.
See the notice here
The DA Gauteng has been reliably informed that medical officers’ contracts were not renewed and many staff in the emergency department have been working without pay or contracts since April of this year. At least two doctors have now left Helen Joseph Hospital and sought employment elsewhere, leaving the hospital precariously short of trained, qualified staff.
Closing an emergency department or diverting patients to different facilities due to lack of medical personnel is illegal and risks the health of patients. Medical diversion can only be implemented if there are no available beds or ventilators.
However, the Gauteng Health Department has become known for its unwillingness to fill funded, vacant posts across many of its facilities. A comprehensive investigation by the Health Ombudsman in March 2025 estimated that Helen Joseph Hospital operated with a 30% vacancy rate, especially in nursing and specialised units. Added to this is a severe and persistent lack of permanent executive management and leadership guidance, leading to both operational and human resource challenges.
Staffing challenges are widespread at Helen Joseph Hospital and is a reflection of issues across public hospitals in the Gauteng province. The organisational plan for hospitals – upon which hospitals are allocated budget and staff – was last updated 20 years ago. While many of the 37 hospitals have submitted updated plans to Premier Panyaza Lesufi for sign-off, they have been gathering dust in his office for at least two years.
The DA calls on the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, to apply his mind to signing off on the updated organisational plans so that adequate planning and budgeting can become standard practice.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would not let bureaucracy dictate patient care, budgets, staffing needs, or staff availability. We will ensure that appropriate budgets are available and adequate staffing levels are in place to guarantee quality treatment for all patients in our care. We will implement our manifesto by providing preventative health and support services. This will be achieved by ensuring municipal clinics are equipped with all necessary medications, equipment, and professional staff to support a healthy community.