The DA has welcomed the Gauteng Health Department’s commitment to pay its phone bills so that communication is restored to 11 hospitals that have been cut off for more than five weeks.
Last week, media reports indicated that late last month, Telkom disconnected the phone lines of 83 clinics and 32 hospitals due to outstanding payments by the provincial health department.
Some of the hospitals on the list included the Chris Hani Baragwanath, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg, Steve Biko, Pretoria West, Weskoppies, Jubilee, Pholosong, Far East Rand, Tara, Tshwane District and Carletonville hospitals.
According to the DA shadow MEC of Health in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, there were originally 32 hospitals cut off, causing immense trauma to patients and their relatives who could not make contact through the telephone.
“Staff had to use their own cellphones to arrange transfers and get laboratory results. This situation should never have been allowed to drag on for so long. It’s one more example of a dysfunctional department that can’t even do a simple thing like pay its bills on time. Real change will only occur when the ANC is booted from power in Gauteng to enable the DA to rescue this department for the benefit of sick and injured people,” Bloom said.
Reacting to the ongoing crisis, Gauteng Department of Health (GDH) spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the department has processed the current invoices for payment before the end of last week.
“The issue of the invoices with descriptions of facilities that do not belong to the GDH is still being pursued with Telkom. Albeit, we have resolved that in the interest of facilitating better communication between communities and our facilities, we should settle that invoice while we are pursuing that particular matter,” Modiba further explained.
As a long-term solution, the department has revealed that it is in the process of migrating its facilities to the Gauteng Provincial Network System, operated by the e-Government Department, to reduce costs.
The Star