Which are Gauteng’s most dangerous hospitals?
The DA will put in an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act to obtain the information for individual hospitals
FOUR years ago Tembisa Hospital was the most dangerous state hospital in Gauteng, based on its number of serious adverse events (SAEs), but is this still the case?
According to Jack Bloom, MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, the Gauteng Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu has disclosed there were 503 SAEs in Gauteng state hospitals in 2015, but has declined to name the hospitals where these negligent acts occurred.
A SAE is defined as an event that results in unintended harm to the patient by an act of commission or omission rather than by the underlying disease or condition of the patient.
Also read:
• Tembisa Hospital is Gauteng’s most dangerous hospital
• Tembisa Hospital misdiagnoses patient nine times
• Woman waits in vain for caesarean at Tembisa Hospital
“In a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature she said serious adverse events involved, among others, allegations of negligence, incompetence of staff members, the absconding of patients and system failure,” Bloom said.
”When I asked in which hospital each event occurred, she replied: ‘Four central, three tertiary, eight regional, 12 district and three specialised hospitals’.
“This is a cover-up to avoid disclosing which are the most dangerous hospitals for patients in Gauteng.
“When I asked this question previously it was disclosed that Tembisa Hospital had the worst SAE record, with 71 SAEs recorded from January 2012 to September 2013. Other dangerous hospitals were Chris Hani Baragwanath and Jubilee, which both recorded 64 SAEs for this period.”
According to previous replies Bloom had received from the Gauteng Health Department, the recorded SAEs have jumped over the years, as follows:
2011: 239 SAEs
2012: 373 SAEs
January to September 2013: 532 SAEs
“I will put in an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act to get the SAE information for individual hospitals. Negligent acts in state hospitals should not be secret information as the public has the right to know which hospitals are most negligent in treating patients,” Bloom concluded.
