The Mpumalanga Portfolio Committee on Health recently visited Matikwana Hospital. The committee was led by its chairperson, Munene Mhlongo. The visit to the 178-bed district hospital, which is located in the northern part of Ehlanzeni District in the Bushbuckridge subdistrict, was part of the oversight visits that are currently taking place.

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Some community members and patients have in the past raised their concerns about the bad service they received at this hospital. Last year, a family of a 57-year-old man who was found dead outside the hospital, threatened to sue the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH) for allegedly failing to ensure the patient’s safety. At the time, the DoH’s spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, said he could not comment on the matter as it was sub judice.

The DoH officially took over the hospital on April 1, 2014, from Life Esidimeni, the company that had been providing 90% of the hospital services on behalf of the government.

The 10% of services, such as patient records management, collection of patients’ fees, and transportation of patients, were managed by officials of the department.

“The government now manages and controls all activities of the hospital on a daily basis. The hospital supports 16 primary healthcare facilities,” said Malamule.

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During the visit, the DoH did a presentation on the provision of quality healthcare as per the National Core Standards, through Dr Cheryl Nelson, the chief director of Primary Healthcare Services.
Nelson’s presentation focused on various aspects, including outlining the performance indicators, progress on appointments, major achievements from 2020 to date, critical resources, infrastructure challenges, and budget and expenditure.