Security review needed as thefts at Bara hospital threaten lives of patients

The Democratic Alliance condemns the thefts at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital that threatened the lives of patients.

Ten metres of copper cable were stolen on Monday this week which forced the evacuation of 24 patients at the main ICU unit, one of whom has since died.

On Wednesday, copper pipes were stolen which cut off water to two operating theatres as their cooling system was disrupted.

I suspect these thefts involved insiders and possible collusion with security guards.

More than R20 million a year is spent on private security at this hospital, but major thefts continue.

Deliberate sabotage cannot be ruled out as Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital suffered vandalism which delayed the re-opening of the casualty unit earlier this year.

A security review is urgently needed for all Gauteng public hospitals as security contracts were last awarded in 2016 for a two-year period, but have been irregularly rolled over.