Headless Hospital hides surgery stats

13 July 2017

The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has been without a permanent Chief Executive Office (CEO) since January last year, and is hiding or unable to give details of surgery backlogs.

I asked Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa questions in the Gauteng Legislature about the hospital's waiting lists for surgery and she replied that the "total number of patients waiting for surgery is still being verified".

It is unacceptable and very worrying that surgery figures are not available for this hospital.

I suspect they are hiding the surgery waiting lists because they are horrendously long.

Two years ago I was given figures that 4846 patients were waiting for surgery at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Has this bad situation gotten worse?

It shows poor management at our largest hospital which is suffering an inexcusable delay in appointing a permanent head.

Ramokgopa has said that the CEO position was advertised last year with a closing date of 15 December 2016 and four applications were received.

But why has this critical position still not been filled?

Bara hospital is the third largest hospital in the world, with 3200 beds and 6760 staff members. About 150 000 inpatients and 500 000 outpatients are seen every year in addition to a very busy casualty unit.

Staff complain that there is no direction from top management and long-standing problems are not addressed.

It is a mystery why former Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu removed the previous CEO Dr Sandile Mfenyana as she gave no explanation and dithered in finding a replacement.

An acting CEO cannot provide the firm direction that this hospital desperately needs, and I hope a high-powered and effective CEO is appointed soon to lead this major hospital with its huge burden of patients who deserve the best possible treatment.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 13 July 2017