73% vacancy rate at State of the Art Hospital
THABAZIMBI – During an oversight at Thabazimbi Hospital on Monday, 3 February, the DA’s Limpopo Health Spokesperson, Desireé van der Walt has learned that the Health Department is still struggling to fill up the crucial vacancies at Thabazimbi’s state of the art Provincial Hospital.
Furthermore, patients have to wait for only two doctors. The situation has led to a patient, Martin Cronjé (21) dying while waiting for crucial medical treatment on the evening of 14 January 2014. He waited for treatment from a doctor, as referred to by a private general practitioner, from 19:30 until his death at 12:45 the next morning, without the necessary medical care.
Desireé found that in the finance department, there is only one person who deals with invoices and payments, which is against Treasury regulations. The medical equipment donated to the hospital such as incubators and beds remain idle as the hospital management claim that they are still waiting for the green light from the department to authorise the donation.
The DA has also noted the following: No segregation of powers in the finance department, a cleaning contractor was appointed despite the predecessor not being paid by the department, shortage of staff with a 73% vacancy rate.
“It is unacceptable for a hospital such as this one to experience critical staff shortage,” Desireé told Kwêvoël.
The DA urged Health MEC, Ms Dipuo Letsatsi Duba, to intervene by filling up crucial positions at this hospital and authorize the hospital to utilise the equipment with immediate effect.
