Nurse agency still owed R6m

A nursing agency has stopped providing nurses to the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in western Johannesburg because it is owed R6 million by the Gauteng health department.

Jack Bloom, a Democratic Alliance member who shadows the MEC for health, Gwen Ramokgopa, pictured, said yesterday the anomaly was revealed in a written reply to his questions in the Gauteng legislature.

Ramokgopa said three nursing agencies were being used by the hospital at the beginning of this year, but they stopped services in September, because they had not been paid by her department.

Two of the agencies were then paid in full on October 31.

However, the Nursing Services of South Africa agency was only paid R4.9 million and is still owed R6 173 045.

Bloom said Ramokgopa told the legislature that the “amounts are loaded for payment”, but due to cash allocation constraints they remained unpaid.

She said discussions were under way to resolve the matter.

The DA member of the provincial legislature warned that withdrawing agency nurses has led to staff burnout at the hospital. Bloom said two wards have been closed and three operating theatres have been cut down to one.

“This is a sad effect of the department’s ongoing financial crisis which increases the risk of medical negligence in the 14 000 births at this hospital every year,” said Bloom.

It was essential that “extra money is found soon to pay the department’s many debts otherwise more companies will halt services, with terrible consequences”. – ANA

The department’s ongoing financial crisis increases risk of medical negligence.

Jack Bloom DA health spokesperson