Gauteng Health fails to use Wits University expertise

13 June 2023

The Gauteng Health Department has failed to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wits University that would have brought in expertise to provide better health care to hospital patients.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

The MOU was signed in June last year after many delays, with great expectations it would herald a new relationship with the University, which has hundreds of staff members and students at 11 hospitals in the province. This includes the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa hospitals.

According to the MEC, the MOU was intended “to ensure the cost-efficient and effective delivery of quality Healthcare services to the public and the delivery of quality teaching and training to students.”

Three committees - Overarching, Governance and the Academic Health Complexes - were supposed to be formed within three months to get the MOU going, but the Department says the Public Service Commission held a workshop with all stakeholders and made recommendations they have to consider before implementing the MOU.

This is a poor excuse for a full year in which nothing has happened with this agreement.

Meanwhile, hospital patients are losing out on the benefits that joint decision-making with highly qualified Wits University staff WOULD bring in improving management, training and treatment.

I asked whether Wits University would be involved in the selection of the new CEOs for

Steve Biko, Chris Hani Baragwanath and George Mukhari academic hospitals.

But the Department’s response was negative as they say hospital CEOs are not regarded as joint staff in the MOU. They admit, however, that they can request officials of Tertiary institutions to assist in selecting the CEOs. This should definitely happen as the Health Ombud was scathing about poor CEO appointments in his report on Rahima Moosa Hospital.

The DA calls on the Department to get serious about working with Wits University to improve our public hospitals.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 13 June 2023