Gauteng Health takes action against Thembisa Hospital officials

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) confirmed it will take disciplinary action against the Thembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital officials based on the forensic investigation report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) made public last December.

Employees cited in the report and those possibly involved in some of the transactions were out on precautionary suspension as part of pursuing the disciplinary process.

The department will further consider its options for those who had terminated their services.

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Of the nine employees cited in the SIU report, six officials were suspended on July 10 to enable disciplinary proceedings to get underway. An investigator was appointed to further deal with the matter.

The deputy director for supply chain management and a chief physiotherapist had since resigned, and a sessional medical officer had stopped working at the facility.

The processes regarding the disciplinary case involving the suspended GDoH chief financial officer and Thembisa Hospital’s chief executive officer were underway and handled by the premier’s office.

The two officials were charged.

The first set of hearings had sat, and the next will sit in October.

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The premier’s office signed a secondment agreement with the SIU to investigate the allegations of maladministration, fraud and corruption related to the supply chain management processes at Thembisa Hospital under the GDoH, as reported by Babita Deokaran.

Among the recommendations made by the SIU was that “Based on the findings in respect of the irregularities highlighted as per the payment bundles received, the SIU would recommend that disciplinary action be instituted against all officials responsible for the adjudication of the various quotations received.”