Carletonville Hospital fire was arson

A fire brigade investigation has found that the fire that destroyed R20 million worth of equipment in a storeroom of the Carletonville Hospital in February this year was caused by arson.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to a Fire Forensic report, there were traces of an accelerant in between the equipment in the storeroom, which indicates that arson was the cause of the fire.

It was also noted that no member of the public had access to the hospital due to Covid-19 restrictions, which infers that the fire was started by an official within the hospital premises.

The fire destroyed R16.5 million of equipment which was being stored for the Anglo Ashanti Hospital, and R3.8 million PPE for the Carletonville Hospital.

A criminal case of arson has been opened, but police are still investigating and no-one has yet been arrested.

I suspect that the fire could have been caused to cover up corruption concerning the PPE or the equipment meant for the Anglo Ashanti Hospital. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has already made adverse findings on the R500 million spent on renovating the Anglo Ashanti Hospital.

There are indications that the fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital may also have been to destroy the evidence of corruption at the stores.

The enormous losses and disruption of hospital activities because of these fires causes extra suffering to sick patients.

It is vitally important that fire prevention measures are upgraded at all hospitals, and perpetrators of arson should be apprehended and brought to justice.

1000 Multi-Drug Resistant TB Cases in Gauteng

Multi-Drug Resistant TB Cases

There are an estimated 1000 Multi-Drug Resistant TB cases in Gauteng, but only 217 of these cases have been placed on treatment.

This information is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Maglangu in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

The number of diagnosed MDR-TB cases has risen over the last three years as follows:

  • 2012 –  747
  • 2013 –  857
  • 2014 – 1007

According to Mahlangu, the increase is because of population growth.

Of the 217 MDR-TB patients on treatment, 115 are at the Sizwe Hospital, and the others are at the following hospitals:

  • Pholosong Hospital – 43
  • Tembisa Hospital – 13
  • South Rand Hospital – 13
  • Tshwane District Hospital – 11
  • Johan Heyns CHC – 8
  • Helen Joseph Hospital – 4
  • Leratong Hospital – 4
  • Charlotte Maxeke Hospital – 3
  • Carletonville Hospital – 3

Cure Rate

The cure rate for MDR-TB is only 55%, and 238 people have died of MDR-TB in the last three years. I am concerned that only about one in five MDR-TB patients in Gauteng are being treated.

This means that about 800 people with MDR-TB are spreading infection to others because they have not been diagnosed and put on treatment in a hospital.

There needs to be a higher priority in tracing people with this virulent form of TB as they are a danger to others and need to be treated if they are to have a chance of survival.

 

Media enquiries:

Jack Bloom MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health

082 333 4222

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Carletonville Hospital without Hot Water

During an oversight visit to Carletonville Hospital yesterday, it was disturbing to learn that the hospital had been without any hot water since the end of January.

Despite reports of contractors being assigned to look into the problem, to date, no clear indication was given of when the problem would be resolved, nor what caused the crisis in the first place.

Boil Water in Kettles

At the moment hospital staff are forced to boil water using kettles and urns to avoid having patients washing with cold water.

The responsibility for the maintenance of health facilities in Gauteng lies with the Department of Infrastructure Development headed by MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, and this department has become notoriously infamous for its uncaring attitude, careless spending, missed deadlines and costly disputes with suppliers.

Restoring Order at Carletonville Hospital

The DA calls on MEC Mayathula-Khoza to ensure that order is restored back to Carletonville Hospital without delay.

The DA will submit written questions to MEC Mayathula-Khoza to determine the causes of this crisis and demand that efforts be stepped up to ensure that hot water is restored as soon as possible.

 

Media enquiries:

Ina Cilliers MPL

DA Constituency Head: Merafong

060 556 4344

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