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Concerns over the exploitation of cleaners and nepotism allegations at Lenasia South Hospital have fallen on deaf ears and continue to affect the rendering of healthcare services to the community.

It is alleged that there is a high level of absenteeism among the nursing staff, yet the hospital management is not doing enough to curb it and discipline those involved.

Since 2010 Lenasia community leaders have been raising concerns to the hospital management about hospital cleaners being used by the nurses and administration staff to do admin work.

In 2014, the complainants had their lives threatened by the management for raising their concerns. To date, nothing has come out of the complaints and a case they opened with the police.

The complaints include the busing in of people as far as Alexandra to fulfill the learnerships programme at the hospital and allegations of “sex for jobs” by management.

Furthermore, the waiting times for treatment have increased dramatically. A recent incident involves allegations that the nurses refused to assist a woman in labour because they were on a tea break. The woman had to be rushed to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where she gave birth shortly after arrival.

During the DA’s oversight inspection at the hospital, we also discovered that there is a continued increase in unhygienic conditions. The garbage is not collected timeously, and there are piles of rubbish.

In addition, the hospital has security issues, and its parking area is open for use by big trucks blocking parking spaces for patients.

The community arranged a peaceful protest at the hospital on Wednesday, 17 August 2022 to highlight their concerns. On hearing about the planned protest, the hospital has already advertised jobs for cleaners and groundsmen. The community is also running with a petition regarding the neglect will be submitted to GPL and we as the DA will follow up on the matter.

The DA supports the peaceful protest by the community and the petition, and we will be writing to the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomathemba Mokgethi, to intervene and investigate these serious allegations levelled against the hospital management. Should it be found that any member of the hospital management is implicated they must be held to account.

The DA will continue to monitor service delivery at this hospital to ensure that quality healthcare services are rendered at all times.

Issued by Nicola Du Plessis MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Health