Tebogo Msimanga |
The South African Human Rights Commission says it is deeply shocked by reports that the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, which was closed after being gutted by fire in April, has now being looted of copper piping alleged to be worth R30 Million rands.
The Commission said these reports come at a time when the hospital and the Gauteng health care system are still contending with the negative impact that the fire damage has had on the provision of healthcare services to thousands of hospital users.
“The recent monitoring visits undertaken by the Commission to Charlotte Maxeke revealed the challenges and issues around physical infrastructure at the hospital. It further drew heightened attention to the extent and nature of the impact that the fire damage had on the patient’s right to health care.”
The theft of the piping could leave some parts of the hospital without hot water. The Commission further said whilst it understands that access to healthcare is seriously constrained at the moment due to the current third wave, “appropriate infrastructure must always be in place for the health care system to function optimally and to be available and of an adequate standard.”
The Commission calls on the Department of Health and the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital management to improve security and allocate more resources to secure critical infrastructure and assets at this facility.
