Dora fails EFF health check
MP vows action after ‘corruption’ discovered during oversight visit
AS Eastern Cape EFF interim provincial leaders, MPs, MPLs and councillors embarked on oversight visits to healthcare facilities in the province yesterday, MP Thembinkosi Rawula alleged that a lot of corruption had been discovered at Port Elizabeth’s Dora Nginza Hospital.
Rawula, with the six EFF councillors in Nelson Mandela Bay and party members, carried out the oversight visit to departments at the hospital, including the pharmacy, the human resources department and different wards, including the maternity ward and Casualty.
Prior to the check-up, the members waited more than an hour before finally meeting Dora Nginza chief executive Patrick Sebolane.
Rawula said among the issues they discovered was the overflow of patients and a nurse treating about 30 patients by herself.
“There is also an inconsistent ratio of doctors – some treating 10 and others treating 30 patients – and management could not provide an answer to this,” he said.
The MP said critical equipment, like oxygen tanks, was broken and there were staff shortages across the departments.
He said nurses complained about working almost double shifts without compensation, which affected the treatment patients received.
Some patients sitting at the dispensary complained that only one clerk was working and they had been waiting for more than three hours to receive medication.
Johannes Viljoen, 62, from Bluewater Bay, said he woke up at 4am to be first in line to receive his chronic medication.
“It’s now 1pm. I’ve been sitting here since 9am after seeing the doctor. It’s not fair that I woke up that early only to come and sit here like a visitor,” he said.
Nompumelelo Nqayi, 61, said she had been sitting at the dispensary since 7am but had not yet received her medication.
“These people only call in one person at a time, but when it’s closer to home time, they call in three at a time,” she said.
“The hospital is empty – there are no nurses, no clerks. And they’re even slower when this place is completely packed.”
The oversight visit was part of the EFF’s provincial focus on all public health facilities.
Rawula said the EFF had resolved to make Dora Nginza Hospital its baby due to the alleged corruption discovered there.
“We’re going to put Dora under a microscope,” he said.
“We’re going to compile a report that we’ll take through the legislature and expose the inefficiencies, and report them to the minister of health.”
On allegations by the EFF that the hospital was selling jobs for R3 000, health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the department had made a public statement about people selling non-existent health jobs to unsuspecting job seekers.
“Fake adverts were placed on the Gumtree website and circulated via WhatsApp,” he said.
“A case was opened and our fraud unit in Bhisho is investigating the alleged scam which is affecting a number of hospitals.
“We’ve also conducted radio interviews warning the public about the scam – which does not necessarily involve health officials.”
We’re going to put Dora under a microscope and compile a report