By Kaya 959 Reporter
The Gauteng Health Department failed to spend R1.1 billion of its total budget of R58.8 billion for the 2020/2021 financial year.
Officials revealed the figure in the 2020/2021 Annual Report of the Gauteng Health Department. The department recently tabled the report in the Gauteng Legislature.
DA health spokesperson, Jack Bloom, says the money should have been used to help hospitals that were overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases.
“District Health Services had an underspend of R407 and Central Hospital Services failed to spend R359 million. Despite crumbling hospitals and a dire need for more beds, the health facilities programme underspend R201 million,” Bloom says.
The department blamed part of the underspending on delays in filling vacant posts. Unpaid infrastructure commitments also contributed to the problem.
Bloom says there were about 7 000 vacancies in critical occupation posts. These include a shortage of 2 550 professional nurses and 1 350 student nurses. There were also a further 900 vacant posts for emergency care practitioners, and 450 empty posts for doctors.
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Poor management
He says another failure is R223 million fruitless and wasteful expenditure as a result of overcharging for PPE.
“This shows that poor management continues to plague the Department despite many promises by Premier David Makhura that this would be rectified,” Bloom says.
He adds that too many senior posts in this department have acting personnel, including the Head of Department and Chief Financial Officer, for more than a year.
Bloom says officials need to urgently fill the posts with capable and honest people.
“Senior health official Babita Deokaran was murdered because she exposed corruption in this department. The time for empty promises is over – the deep rot must be eradicated once and for all,” Bloom concludes.
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