DA criticizes NHI, cites issues at South Rand Hospital
The hospital said they have increased the number of doctors.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law on May 15.
He emphasised the NHI’s importance in providing equal access to healthcare services and addressing inequalities.
“The Bill is also about efficiency and quality. The provision of healthcare in SA is currently fragmented, unsustainable and unacceptable,” Ramaphosa said, adding that he finally “found his pen” to sign the long-awaited Bill.
In the meantime, the DA in Johannesburg did a two-year-long investigation. It said the investigation revealed tangible examples of the entire SA healthcare system’s potential ruin should the NHI be implemented in its current form.
Ward 56 Clr Michael Crichton said the investigation was at the South Rand Hospital and revealed a five-year-old water leak. This leak had consumed the hospital’s water budget, which led to water budget implications for it. They also found hospital furniture, which appears to be in good working order, dumped behind the hospital building and left to decay and rust.
“Photographic evidence leaked to us reveals that safety, health and medical protocols are unmet. Additional information from a whistle-blower reveals not even the staff parking lot, among other things, goes unmanaged. A hospital patient advised us that senior citizens are made to stand in the sun for hours while waiting to see the doctors. Doctors are leaving the hospital because they will leave SA thanks to the implementation of the NHI,” he said.
The DA said as part of this investigation, replies to questions submitted in Parliament revealed the following:
• There is over-expenditure due to negligence in the financial year of 2019-20 to 2022-2023, to name one example; there is an over-expenditure for water of R428 666 (158.77% over budget). This is linked to the ongoing water leak, which still remains unresolved.
• Over one-third (34.7%) of the staff at this hospital are not part of its core business.
• Replies to questions posed contradict the reality in that furniture of various descriptions was found at the back of the hospital, most of which was in perfect order but had since been damaged by the weather because it lay in the open without protection.
• Staff absenteeism averages 5%. The internationally accepted average is 1.8%. A 4% or more absenteeism rate is deemed high.
• The 3.9% staff vacancy negatively impacts the hospital’s services.
To read more about DA’s findings at South Rand Hospital, click here.
South Rand Hospital CEO Simphiwe Gada responded to the DA allegations. He said the hospital management has seen and studied the article and wishes to place on record that they are unable to respond to allegations by the DA and do not wish to enter political matters. However, they want to correct the following:
“We do not have leakages in the hospital. From time to time, we have experienced water leaks due to old infrastructure and have always corrected the problem through the Department of Infrastructure, which does our maintenance. We currently do not have any functional hospital furniture that was left to rust and decay. Our only furniture is the old broken furniture awaiting disposal following the government’s disposal policies.
“Safety protocols in the hospital are met. The Occupational Health and Safety Committee, comprising all the required parties, continues to meet and resolve existing challenges relating to safety and reports monthly. We do not deny existing challenges, so we continue with interventions to address the existing challenges,” he said.
Gada mentioned that parking in the hospital remains a challenge due to the design and size of the hospital. However, management plans to address this by converting part of their primary garden into additional parking for staff.
“It is worth noting that our staff establishment has grown, including the hospital’s catchment area, placing additional demand on the infrastructure by the hospital.
“Our patients do not wait outside to see doctors. Despite the limited space, we always make plans to accommodate our clients. Plans are underway to address our waiting area, casualty, outpatient department, patient admin and pharmacy areas to make them more modern and with enough space. Senior citizens and some special categories of clients have designated service points and get preference in getting access to services.
“We do not have a high turnover of doctors in the hospital. This year, we increased the number of doctors. If anything, we have doctors walking in looking for work in the hospital. We only had one doctor who left our hospital at the end of November and went to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. He left for professional growth reasons.
“Our finances remain stable and are not affected by any water leaks. We do not have staff absenteeism challenges in the hospital,” Gada said.
He also revealed that they continue to fill vacant posts when they arise, and the hospital’s organisational structure is undergoing review to meet service delivery needs.
“South Rand Hospital, a district hospital, is subjected to SA health regulations and legislations that require annual assessments to determine its standing. Last year, the Patient Experience of Care survey on the hospital’s users placed us at 86%, while the ideal hospital framework assessment outcome is 89%. These indicators show that we are a functional hospital delivering on its mandate. The hospital management is committed and determined to improve the hospital and work with all 14 local clinics supported by it to ensure the public continues having access to quality health care. We do this understanding we are a hospital closer to the people and the SA health system is anchored on the district health system. If we fail, we will collapse the health system, and that option is not available to us. The only option we have is to serve our clients with integrity to produce good health outcomes,” noted Gada.
