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Gauteng’s public health crisis deepens as the Gauteng Health Department achieved only 56 out of 106 targets (53%), as disclosed in the First Quarterly Report that covers the period April to June this year.

This report was recently tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. It shows that four out of eight programmes achieved 0% of their targets - Administration, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Health Science and Training, and Health Facilities Management.

In the case of EMS, it was allocated R518 984 000 for the quarter under review and spent R628 565 000, but only 42% of Priority 1 calls in urban areas were attended to within 30 minutes instead of the 85% target. In rural areas, ambulances reached 83% of P1 calls within 60 minutes instead of the 100% target.

It is scandalous that so much money is spent but lives are lost due to poor ambulance response times.

Incredibly, the department reports that rural ambulances were used from Bronkhorstspruit to attend to calls from the George Mukhari, Steve Biko, Mamelodi and Odi hospitals. Imagine sending an ambulance to pick up a patient 90 kilometres away!

Other dismal figures include R880 270 000 irregular expenditure, and only 41% of invoices paid within the required 30 days,

None of the planned capital projects were completed, including emergency repairs to the neonatal and labour wards at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

Maternal mortality at District Hospitals are also a worry, with a mortality rate of 92/100 000instead of the 54/100 000 target.

Drastic surgery is needed to fix the department’s management failures, but it won’t happen under this provincial government which ruins everything with cadre deployments and inaction against rampant corruption.

Issued by Jack Bloom MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC