Thousands of patients will suffer as major parts of Joburg hospital will only open next year

Thousands of patients who attended the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital will continue to suffer from its closure as the infrastructure requirements to open large sections are only expected to be completed next year.

This is revealed by Gauteng Infrastructure Development MEC Tasneem Motara in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Motara, there is a need for “alternative solutions to make the hospital compliant to the latest legislation”, and professional service providers were commissioned to investigate the relevant requirements for electrical, structural, mechanical, architectural, fire and general occupational health and safety. 

A phased approach has been adopted as follows:

Short term – certificate of occupation received for Radiology and Oncology.

Medium term – areas declared structurally safe and deemed critical by clinicians.

Long term – areas that were damaged by the fire and declared structurally unsafe in the Northern side of the hospital. 

The timetable for the medium term infrastructure completion is 2023, and for the long term the dates are “dependent on the outcome of the forensic investigation and the detailed structural investigation recommendations.”

 I am concerned that there is no budget allocation in the current financial year to fix the hospital, but funds will be sourced from existing maintenance and other budgets which may not be sufficient.

 R100 million has been requested for remedial work for the fire, but there is no estimated construction cost as yet for the repair of the most damaged part of the hospital. I estimate that it will likely be about R1 billion for full repairs. 

 Meanwhile, more than 2300 patients wait for cataract operations at the hospital, and there are huge backlogs for other types of surgery that affects hundreds of others.

I receive calls every day from anxious patients whose surgery was postponed because of the Covid-19 crisis, and they now suffer in pain without any indication when their operations will be done.

I fear that the provincial departments that failed to prevent or contain the devastating fire at this hospital will not be capable of meeting their own targets to fix the damage.

The DA will push for the use of the best private sector skills to expedite the hospital repairs, and for private hospitals to be contracted to cut the surgery backlogs for public patients.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

DA calls for urgent debate on failure to reopen Joburg hospital

I have today requested the Gauteng Legislature Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe for an urgent debate in the Gauteng Legislature on the failure to reopen the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH).

The hospital was closed after a fire on 16 April, but it has not reopened despite an assessment that most of the building is structurally sound, and the pressing need to save the lives of patients who require specialist care.

Senior doctors have called for safe sections of the hospital to be reopened as soon as possible, but it is unclear why this has not happened despite promises by the provincial government.

Patients who are most affected include cancer patients who need chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and kidney patients who require dialysis.

It is critical that the ICU beds at CMJH for Covid-19 patients are available for use as soon as possible as we face a devastating third wave of the epidemic.

The Gauteng public health system is in crisis as other hospitals are crowded with hundreds of CMJH patients.

There needs to be accountability for the failure to speedily reopen this 1000-bed hospital, as it is causing immense suffering to patients and will lead to deaths the longer it is closed.

The debate on this matter will go ahead at the sitting on Tuesday if Speaker Mekgwe grants my request that it be considered as a matter of urgent public importance.

This will hopefully pressurise Premier David Makhura to give a clear answer on the opening of the hospital.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Patients suffer as Joburg Hospital fails to reopen

Patients continue to suffer as the cancer unit at the fire-damaged Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) failed to reopen this week as promised by the Gauteng provincial government.

This is yet another blow to cancer patients, and uncertainty remains about when other sections of the hospital will reopen.

It’s a desperate situation which has promoted doctors to launch a petition to urgently reopen the hospital as they say that the healthcare system is at breaking point.

Two-thirds of CMJH patients are not showing up for treatment as alternative arrangements are hopelessly inadequate.

Other hospitals cannot cope with the extra numbers of CMJH patients, especially the Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa hospitals which have been hit by water shortages.

All this is happening as hospitals are filling up with Covid-19 patients as a third wave of infections hits the province.

Lives will be lost if the specialist ICU beds for Covid-19 cases are not back in operation very soon.

It is still not entirely clear what is the obstacle to opening sections of the hospital that have already been determined as structurally safe.

Premier David Makhura’s excuses and false promises are not convincing.

Using the expertise of private organisations like the Gift of the Givers is surely the way forward to fix the crisis at CMJH so that it can speedily readmit patients.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Police lose docket for malicious damage to Joburg Hospital

There will be no prosecution for malicious damage to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) in April 2018 as the docket has mysteriously gone missing at the Hillbow Police Station.

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

According to Mokgethi, a charge of public violence and a charge of malicious damage to property were laid at the Hillbrow Police Station following the vandalism of employees at the CMJH during an illegal strike in April 2018.

The public violence case was returned from court in July 2018, and it is still undergoing a court process.

According to the computer record, however, the case of malicious damage to property has been closed, and “the reason for closing the case was not determined as it was recorded in a paper-based docket which apparently went missing because it was not found when hospital security personnel requested to obtain its copy.”

This withdrawal of the case is outrageous as it was estimated that R3 million in damages was caused, and former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi described it as “pure hooliganism”.

Forty employees were recently disciplined by the hospital and found guilty for this incident. They were given two months suspension without pay and a final written warning.

These employees will now escape the criminal charge of malicious damage because of police incompetence.

I will be asking further questions as to why this docket went missing as there should be severe consequences for those who violently trashed this hospital.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Chaos at Joburg Hospital vaccination site

I am concerned at the chaos at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital vaccination site as health workers are turned away despite being notified that they are due to receive the J&J vaccine for Covid-19.

Early this week the SA Medical Research Council stated that “due to high demand at many sites we can only accept health workers and personnel with vouchers.”

But many health workers have arrived with vouchers and are told to come back, and then another excuse is given for why they cannot get the vaccination.

The Sisonke J&J trial is due to end soon as the general rollout for people over 60 years old is supposed to start next week.

It is essential that the vaccination programme is properly organised, with measures to ensure that nobody jumps the queue.

The appointment system for vaccines should be efficient and fair, with a minimum of waiting times especially for old people in this cold weather.

We need to do everything we can to ensure a speedy vaccine rollout to save lives as the epidemic appears headed for a third wave of infections.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Urgent arrangements needed for Joburg Hospital cancer patients

The Democratic Alliance welcomes the planned return of patients to safe sections of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) next week, but alternative arrangements for cancer patients need to be made urgently.

This is because the Radiation Oncology department is in the damaged section and will probably not re-open for patients for a number of months.

Steve Biko Hospital in Tshwane is the only other hospital that does radiation treatment, but they are already stretched with patients.

Lives will be put at risk if alternative arrangements are not made urgently for hundreds of CMJH cancer patients.

The Gauteng Health Department should expand capacity by organising cancer radiation treatment at the available machines in the evenings and over weekends.

They should also pay private hospitals to treat public patients for cancer.

Meanwhile, every effort should be made to speed up the repair of CMJH so that all specialist treatment can be resumed there as soon as possible.

 

DA welcomes disciplinary action for workers who trashed Joburg hospital

The Democratic Alliance welcomes the disciplinary action against 40 employees who trashed the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital in April 2018, but it is a pity that this took so long to resolve.

According to the Gauteng Health Department, 45 employees were identified through video footage who vandalised the hospital during an illegal strike, and 40 were found guilty by the presiding officer. They were given two months suspension without pay and a final written warning.

The discipline of the remaining five employees is still ongoing, and the hospital anticipates completing this by end of May.

Former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said at the time that what happened was “pure hooliganism” and that anyone who tried to stop staff doing their duties was a “murderer”. He said he would be consulting with the Police Minister to arrest those responsible.

The then Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa was even more dramatic saying: “This is another Life Esidimeni unfolding.”

It was estimated that there was R3 million in damages.

It is disappointing that it has taken three years to discipline workers who were dumped trash and medical waste around the hospital and caused the cancellation of operations as well.

See photos attached here, here  and here

I will be following up on the criminal cases that were opened at the Hillbrow Police Station for public disturbance/violence, and malicious damage to property.

It is important that there are real consequences for those who disrupt a place of healing so that it does not happen again.

Air-con failures cut ops at Joburg Hospital

Broken air-conditioning at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital has led to more than 100 operations being cancelled in the last two weeks despite a huge backlog caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

All the operating theatres are affected except for two orthopaedic theatres.

Medical staff are very frustrated that they cannot do their jobs and patients suffer from the delayed operations.

It seems that poor maintenance is once again to blame despite more than R200 million spent at this hospital in the past five years to fix deteriorating infrastructure.

Last year about 2000 operations were cancelled or deferred at this hospital for various reasons, and surgery waiting lists have grown alarmingly because of resources diverted to treat COVID-19 patients.

It is unacceptable that a major hospital has to cancel surgeries because of broken machinery.

I hope that the air-conditioning is fixed as soon as possible and measures taken to ensure that surgery is not crippled by avoidable equipment failures.

1413 ops deferred at Joburg Hospital because of Covid-19 restrictions

A total of 1413 non-urgent operations have been cancelled or deferred at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital since the lockdown restrictions were instituted on 27 March.

This was revealed yesterday by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in an oral reply to my questions at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

The number of cancelled or deferred operations in the various departments are as follows:

Opthalmology (mostly cataract surgery) – 499

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy – 420

Orthopaedics – 180

Paediatric – 47

Urology – 32

Breast – 30

Neurosurgery – 22

Surgical gastroenterology – 22

Thyroid – 9 (5 cancers)

Other – 18

According to Masuku: “CMJAH remains one of the busiest COVlD-19 treating facilities in the province … Alternative arrangements have been made for less complex cases to be performed at Helen Joseph Hospital and other regional hospitals … There is, unfortunately, limited capacity for patients who would require post-operative ICU and High Care.”

It is of great concern that so many operations have been cancelled, as this causes anxiety and suffering to patients, many of whom have been waiting a long time for surgery. It will add to the existing surgery waiting list of 1850 patients at this hospital.

I am relieved that cancer surgery is largely continuing at the hospital, except for a small number of cases due to reduced theatre lists.

It is important that every effort is made to alleviate other pressing health needs even as we fight the COVID-19 scourge.

Delayed discipline for workers who trashed Joburg Hospital

A shortage of labour relations officers has been blamed for the long delay in disciplining workers who trashed the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital in May last year.

This is according to Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in an oral reply to my questions earlier this week in the Gauteng Legislature.

He said that a team of five working on this case had been diverted to attend to matters at the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital, and a new five-person investigation team has now been appointed with a deadline of 30 September this year.

I am relieved that action against the 16 workers identified by CCTV cameras is finally being taken, but I am concerned that they were not suspended or moved elsewhere as many of them were identified as having threatened other staff.

Criminal cases have been opened for public disturbance/violence, and malicious damage to property, but there have been no arrests as police are still investigating.

There was public outrage at the time over the scenes of trash in the hospital corridors and horror tales of doctors and nurses locking themselves in wards for safety.

See photos attached herehere and here.

Rocks were used to disrupt ambulances transporting patients, and tyres were burnt in front of the hospital. These violent actions were by workers complaining about unpaid bonuses.

Former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said it was “pure hooliganism” and that anyone who tried to stop staff doing their duties was a “murderer”.

The then Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said it was “another Life Esidimeni unfolding.”

I hope that the disciplinary cases go ahead soon and that those found guilty are also made to pay for the R3 million damage to the hospital.

People will feel free to trash the hospital again if there is no accountability and consequences for bad behaviour.