Gauteng launches maintenance crack team
A team of artisans will be refurbishing the province’s public health facilities
The maintenance of existing public infrastructure in general and health facilities in particular will from now onwards receive as much attention as is the delivery of new infrastructure in Gauteng. The province also believes that a balance between these two areas of development will help deliver infrastructure that is sustainable enough to serve more generations of communities in the future.
The advanced age and condition of many health institutions in the province has also been taken into account in developing this new approach to infrastructure delivery and management. Otherwise, the facilities in many clinics and hospitals might end up degenerating and reach an irreparable state and thus need more resources in rebuilding them from scratch. This is not what the province wants.
There is currently a major shift to the prioritisation of infrastructure maintenance by Gauteng Provincial Government as part of improving the quality of life of communities.
This new policy stance was announced when the Gauteng department of infrastructure development launched a specialised team of artisans who will conduct radical refurbishment of community health centres and hospitals in the province, starting with local clinics. They are known as the Maintenance Crack Team, and their task is to revitalise the look, feel, and function of basic facilities in health institutions. The idea is the brainchild of MEC Jacob Mamabolo, who was deployed to the portfolio of infrastructure development earlier this year.
The Maintenance Crack Team was launched at the Orlando Community Health Centre in the presence of municipal councillors Brenda Dammie, Bongani Dlamini and Sechaba Khumalo from wards 29, 30 and 31. Representatives of Builders Warehouse, who are strategic suppliers of materials to the team, were also present at the launch. The matron outlined the profile of the clinic and also said she was happy that her staff of 60 people would soon be delivering services in a fully refreshed environment.
This clinic was established in 1937 and only had a ward for mental health patients at the time, but has since grown into a fully-fledged health facility with various wards providing different services to the community. However, its structure is now very old and in need of urgent attention due to the high demand from the local community. It caters for a local population of 76 700 people and also has a patient turnover of between 12 000 and 13 000 people at peak periods.
An assessment done by the Maintenance Crack Team has found that the sewer system at the clinic is unable to cope with the growing pressure and is frequently blocked in spite of regular maintenance. It will now undergo major plumbing works. The roof and ceiling also need serious attention and a decision had been made to replace them. The team will also renew the electrical reticulation system, and also undertake painting and landscaping to create a welcoming environment for patients.
Speaking at the launch, Mamabolo said “Big things start small. We’re excited about this project. We could have chosen Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital but we came here in order touch the lives of our people at a local level. We’re linking infrastructure maintenance directly to the improvement in the quality of life of our people”.
“As the main infrastructure developer and manager in our province we understand that it is our primary duty to know the status of infrastructure in our communities. We would therefore like to use the work we do here at the Orlando Community Health Centre as an example of the new maintenance standards and approach that we will be undertaking throughout the province from now onwards.
“We’re entering a new period of more efficiency in infrastructure development. If we do not restore the Orlando Clinic to what it should be, in spite of the skills that the province has at its disposal, then our province will not be able to fully serve the needs of our communities. That is why I assembled this team,” said the MEC.
He said his department was using the deployment of the Maintenance Crack Team as a pilot project and an example of how to revitalise very old health infrastructure in line with the new approach. The team would be based at the clinic for the rest of the week, refurbishing the Dental Ward, and thereafter move block by block until the whole clinic has been revitalised. He said in due course two other prioritised community health centres in Soweto would also be revitalised in similar fashion, namely Meadowlands Clinic and the Mofolo Clinic. The team will then tackle bigger institutions.
The department also thanked Builders Warehouse for their donation of R10 000 towards the revitalisation of local infrastructure. The company also offered to help build additional toilets in the clinic in order to help alleviate attendant pressure on existing facilities.