I welcome the measures announced today by Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa to fix the deep-seated problems at the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto.
This intervention is long overdue and follows a sex for jobs scandal and other irregularities in the hiring of staff. The hospital also suffers because telephone lines have been cut because of non-payment.
I am relieved that psychiatric patients will no longer be referred to the hospital as I warned in March this year that the psychiatric facilities were inadequate and had led to a suicide and injuries to patients.
The hiring of six more doctors will assist in providing a better service.
The MEC has set up an intervention team that will work for three months to stabilize the hospital.
There were high hopes when this hospital was opened in May 2014 but it has been plagued by management problems that I hope will now be solved.