Budget constraints have forced the Western Cape provincial government to reduce the budget at Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals, Business Day newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The provincial health department has had to cut 90 beds at the province’s top hospitals in order to boost primary healthcare services in townships.
The Western Cap is to invest in 100 new beds at Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital in Mitchells Plain to take the strain off GF Jooste Hospital, which cannot cope with the large influx of patients.
Provincial finance minister Lynn Brown on Tuesday announced that the health department would receive R7-billion of the R20-billion budget allocated to the province.
The head of the health department, Craig Househam, said R30-million would be cut from Groote Schuur and Tygerberg’s combined budgets. — Sapa