End of the road for Pongola Hospital

WITH no funding lifeline available, Pongola Hospital faces closure by as early as March 2014.

This after the KZN Health Department released its final state subsidy of R2-million to the Zululand hospital earlier this year. The contribution is significantly lower than the annual R3.8-million subsidy received by the hospital in previous years.

With a monthly state income of R191 000 for this financial year only, Hospital Manager Trudie Theron told the Zululand Observer on Wednesday that ‘they were struggling’ to stay open.

‘We do not know what is going to happen,’ said Theron.

‘We have received no other funding and no further correspondence from the department. Come March 2014, the monthly state funding will stop. We are trying to run the hospital and pay salaries with the little we have, and the income from our kiosk but this is not enough,’ said Theron.

But despite the financial crisis, Theron said the hospital was still taking on a steady stream of patients.

‘If the hospital closes, patients will suffer and there will be a major problem in terms of provision of health care in emergency cases. A critical patient or snake bike victim will die by the time they receive hospital treatment,’ added Theron.

Patients may soon be forced to undertake the 45 minute trip to Itshelejuba Hospital, which is the nearest hospital located about 38km away from Pongola.

Uncertainty

The uncertainty over future funding has also created panic and concern among the 35 staff members employed at the hospital.

The hospital was first notified at the end of January that its subsidy would be withdrawn by the department due to ‘budget cuts’.

Built in the 1960s, the 21-bed hospital has been receiving funding for the past 40 years. KZN Health spokesperson Desmond Motha was unable to respond to the Zululand Observer at the time of going to print.

News of the imminent closure of Pongola Hospital comes after the McCord Hospital board closed the institution last week after a breakdown in negotiations with the KZN Department of Health.

Earlier this year, the hospital was slated for closure after the department opted not to renew its annual subsidy.

At the end of January, KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo announced that the department had made an offer to take over the hospital, which is over 100 years old. However, the board said last week that the department’s offer was too low to cover the hospital’s present and future liabilities.