R1.488 BN OWED TO GAUTENG HEALTH SUPPLIERS
The Gauteng Health Department owes R1.488 billion to suppliers who mostly provide goods and services to hospitals.
This was revealed earlier this week by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a presentation to the Gauteng Legislature's Health Committee.
This huge figure shows that little progress has been made in paying health suppliers in good time, which often leads to problems in hospitals when they cease deliveries.
Maintenance also suffers because of non-payments, leading to frequent machinery breakdowns.
The four academic hospitals (Charlotte Maxeke, Chris Hani Bara, Steve Biko and George Mukhari) owe R531 million, while other hospitals and clinics owe R750 million in total.