Soshanguve hospital construction delayed
Several factors have delayed the building of the hospital.
Construction of the planned Soshanguve hospital is unlikely to start within the next three years.
This is the word from DA Gauteng MPL Jack Bloom, who said several factors were to blame.
These included the allocation of land for construction being too small.
In August of 2014, National Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said construction would begin in the 2017/18 financial year.
It was due to be completed in 2019.
The Tshwane council meeting last month resolved that a larger piece of land be allocated for the hospital.
However, Bloom said the provincial health department had frozen all its building projects due to financial constraints.
He claimed the department failed to spend R559 million on capital assets during the previous financial year.
“According to the department’s fourth quarter report, only R1.564 billion (73%) was spent out of a total R2.123 billion budget for capital assets.”
Bloom said the “chronic inability” to spend on capital assets continued this year.
All new building projects were on ice, including extra wards at the Edenvale and Tembisa hospitals and new hospitals in Kempton Park, Daveyton and Soshanguve.
Suppliers not being paid on time and deteriorating services had also been blamed on the mismanagement of funds.
“Because of overspending in other areas, the overall underspend for the 2017/18 financial year was R179 million.”
Bloom said this highlighted poor financial management in the department.
Asked for comment, the metro said it was only responsible for clinics.
The Gauteng health authorities referred Rekord to the National Department of Health.
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Its spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said the department was awaiting formal correspondence on the land allocation by the metro, which would enable construction to start.
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