/ 19 January 1998

No new hospitals for Mpumalanga

MONDAY, 5.30PM:

THE Mpumalanga health and welfare department will not build any hospitals or clinics this year because of financial constraints, director Dr Gulam Karim said on Monday.

Gulam said the department hopes, however, that there will be a surplus on the budget, which will allow it to build a psychiatric ward at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Nelspruit, African Eye News Service reports.

Karim said the department will spend R1,5-million this year to complete the construction of three hospitals and two clinics in the province that were started in 1996.

“Tonga, Ermelo and Witbank hospitals, and the Emjindini and Daggakraal clinics will be completed this year,” he said.