Gauteng Health appoints hospital boards, clinic committees

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Health has appointed hospital boards to strengthen the management of hospitals around the province.

The department has appointed 161 board members, up by 53% from the initial 41 board members.

Gauteng Health MEC, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa said: “With the 66 board members that are still to be appointed, a greater focus will be made to ensure that we have greater women and youth representation.

“Although there are 66 vacancies in the whole province, in terms of skills set shortage, we only have a shortage of 35 skills and these include five persons with financial skills, 11 persons with legal skills, 13 persons with medical skills and six persons with human resource and management skills.

“These men and women will strengthen service delivery at the coalface and put patient care at the centre of the health system in Gauteng. They will oversee and support the effective and efficient functioning of hospitals in our province.”

The term of office is three years for the hospital boards and a member may serve for three consecutive years. The induction of the hospital boards will commence in May 2017. 

MEC Ramokgopa commended community members, who have agreed to serve as hospital board members.

“I would like to thank all hospital board members and clinic committees who have agreed to serve our people. I’m confident that these men and women will make valuable and positive contributions to the Gauteng health system.”

The province needs about 227 hospital boards for all public hospitals. Bheki Mlangeni Regional Hospital, Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and e Tara H. Morros Hospital have the required number of hospital board members.

The department has also appointed 60% of clinic committees in the five regions.

“As part of our efforts to strengthen clinic committees, I will be meeting with all the appointed members during the month of April,” said MEC Ramokgopa.

Clinic committees are statutory bodies appointed by the MEC for Health, according to Section 42 of the National Health Act, No. 61 of 2003. The main objectives of clinic committees include promoting effective and efficient governance through public participation, addressing the health needs of the communities they serve and ensuring accountability and transparency.

Clinic committees are appointed for a three-year renewable term. However, a committee member may serve for a maximum of nine successive years. The composition of the committee is between five to eight members per clinic.  

MEC Ramokgopa has called on professional bodies to avail their members to serve on hospital boards and clinic committees to ensure that these structures are capacitated by suitably qualified members.

Payment of community healthcare workers, hospital roof collapse

MEC Ramokgopa said community healthcare workers have been paid.

“All the 8 935 community healthcare workers contracted have been paid until the end of February 2017 with no delays. The department engages with SmartPurse, the service provider, regularly to monitor and review project implementation. All matters that require attention are managed in line with the Service Level Agreement,” said MEC Ramokgopa.

On the maintenance of public hospitals and clinics, MEC Ramokgopa said the department is still to receive the report on the investigation of the roof collapse at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. The MEC assured that the report would be shared with the public once it has been received from the Department of Infrastructure Development.

“The maintenance of all hospitals and clinics is budgeted for by the Department of Health but the implementation is executed by the Department of Infrastructure Development.

“The Department of Infrastructure Development has set 24 hours as the timeframe for repair of minor defects, seven days as the turnaround time for medium defects and a year for major maintenance repairs,” said MEC Ramokgopa. – SAnews.gov.za