The Public Protector has found that two Gauteng departments “unduly delayed” repairing damage at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo
- Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has found the Gauteng Infrastructure Development and Health departments “unduly delayed” repairs at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital after a 2021 fire.
- The report found that “persistent” disputes between the two departments caused over 18 months of additional delays and constituted maladministration.
- Severe underspending was also detailed in the report: R666.754 million was allocated for fire repairs between 2021 and 2024, but only 49% was spent by March 2024.
A Public Protector report has found that the Gauteng Infrastructure Development and Health departments “unduly delayed” carrying out repairs to damage at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital after a fire in April 2021.
Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka said during a media briefing on Friday that among the failures were “misconceived” timeframes and “persistent disputes” between the two departments over scope, budget, and processes.
According to the report, delays in transfers between the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) and the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) resulted in over 18 months of additional delays. As a result, there were multiple contract terminations and reappointments.
In addition, the initial estimate by the infrastructure development department excluded facility-wide fire compliance, leading to inaccurate budgeting. An estimated R1.7 billion in additional funding was consequently required for facility-wide mandatory fire compliance.
Adding to the project’s budget woes, the report pointed to massive underspending of more than R300 million over three years.
R666.754 million was allocated for fire repairs, planning, and maintenance between 2021 and 2024. However, by March 2024, only R324.188 million had been used (49%). The report showed that there was inaccurate and under-costing of projects, budget misalignment and misconceived timeframes, procurement bottlenecks and irregularities, and administrative delays.
“The conduct of the functionaries of GDoH and GDID constitute improper conduct as envisaged in section 182(1)(a) of the Constitution, amounts to maladministration, undue delay and improper prejudice to healthcare users and staff at the Hospital, as contemplated in terms of section 6(4)(a)(i)(ii) and (v) of the Public Protector Act, 1994,” the report found.
The failures resulted in extended ward closures and a risk to service delivery, the report highlighted.
READ | Charlotte Maxeke hospital fire caused by arson – report
“The conduct of the functionaries of GDoH and GDID constitute improper conduct as envisaged in section 182(1)(a) of the Constitution, amounts to maladministration, undue delay and improper prejudice to healthcare users and staff at the Hospital, as contemplated in terms of section 6(4)(a)(i)(ii) and (v) of the Public Protector Act, 1994,” the report found.
The failures resulted in extended ward closures and a risk to service delivery, the report highlighted.
The report said:
The Public Protector has noted with concern a recurring trend or pattern of lack of coordination, accountability for deliverables, and inefficient use of public resources between GDID, as an implementing agent for government capital infrastructure projects and its client departments in Gauteng. This improper conduct is often fuelled by bureaucratic conflicts and disagreements, which hamper service delivery and compromise good governance.
The fire gutted parts of the hospital after breaking out in a special dispensary storage room.
At the time, it was estimated that medical goods worth R40 million in the storeroom, along with a large amount of personal protective equipment, were destroyed.
Damage was caused to the accident and emergency unit, obstetrics and gynaecology unit, paediatric area, surgery area, and internal medicine department. Parts of the building were declared structurally unsafe following the blaze.
The report found that service delivery was dramatically impacted by the fire. Outpatient services dropped from 60 000 to 80 000 patients a month to less than 30 000. Bed utilisation fell from 60% to 83% pre-fire to 40% to 55% post-fire. There was also a loss of clinical space and extended ward closures, the report said.
Nicole McCain
www.news24.com
