Kempton Hospital’s reopening delayed to 2017

AN objection by Arwyp Medical Centre against the reopening of Kempton Park Hospital as a folateng hospital, as well as other administrative challenges, are reasons why Kempton Park Hospital’s refurbishment has been delayed.

Ms Patricia Mokgohlwa, DA constituency head Tembisa and Kempton Park, last week said the reopening had been delayed by two years and was now scheduled to take place in 2017.

Answers she received on August 6 from the Gauteng Provincial Legislature health MEC, Hope Papo, indicated the project was still in its planning phase.

Clr Jaco Terblanche, Ekurhuleni metro ward councillor, said these answers revealed that Gauteng province needed approval to rescind a previous Gauteng Department of Health decision to renovate the hospital as a folateng hospital, as it had since been decided to reopen it as a level 1 district hospital.

A folateng hospital has a network of private wards set up within a public hospital. These private wards give patients the quality and convenience of private health care with specialist physicians and cutting edge technology.

Terblanche said answers to Mokgholwa’s questions stated that Arwyp objected to provincial government opening a folateng hospital, causing province to rethink its initial plans.

Mokgholwa was told in September last year that Kempton Park Hospital would become a level 1 district hospital. Province at that stage did not reveal which private hospital objected to the establishment of a folateng institution. Only in the latest documents they called Arwyp by name, stating they were the objectors.

Terblanche felt this new delay was “political games” from province and a non-committal in supplying quality medical services to Gauteng’s residents.

Last year’s answers to Mokgholwa’s questions already announced that the Development Bank of South Africa had been contracted by the department as an “implementing agent”. Their role was to undertake the planning and completion of the refurbishment of the current building to a level 1 district hospital.

According to the answers on the first set of questions the planning started in June 2012 and the refurbishment would have been completed by 2015.

Terblanche said he was worried about the empty building. “Provincial government pays over R800 000 a year to a private security company which allows people to do ‘ghost hunting’ on the premises over weekends.

“Many cars are parked along Miervreter Street on Saturdays as people disappear into the dark building for the night.”

Last weekend Terblanche counted over 60 cars parked there after 11pm.

He unsuccessfully requested province to mend the broken fence and cut the grass, as criminals run into the hospital premises to hide. The grass, according to him, was last cut when the Mandela movie was shot there in 2011.

Karin Lindeque of Arwyp’s marketing department confirmed that Arwyp was in principle opposed to the reopening of Kempton Park Hospital.

“There is an over-supply of private hospital beds in the Kempton Park area, as well as a shortage of doctors and nursing staff, not to mention pharmacists,” Lindeque said.

“Delays in the reopening of this critical healthcare facility for Gauteng’s East Rand is unacceptable,” said Mokgohlwa.

“There is no activity on the site nearly six months after the construction and repairs at the hospital were due to begin and more than four and a half years after Premier Nomvula Mokonyane promised the reopening,” she said.

“This is yet another one of Mokonyane’s unfulfilled promises. She is now finishing her term without having delivered on this. The DA in Gauteng will push the health department to accelerate the process of refurbishing and reopening the hospital.

“The people of Ekurhuleni cannot afford further delays in the reopening of the hospital, which will provide much needed additional healthcare services to the region’s already overcrowded facilities,” Mokgohlwa said.