/ 3 February 2011

Motsoaledi called on to act on Bara

Motsoaledi Called On To Act On Bara

Health Minister Aaron Motshoaledi should hire efficient managers to avoid a repeat of the bungle which led to some Gauteng doctors not being paid monthly salaries, the South African Medical Association (Sama) said on Wednesday.

“The fact that it took a whole month for people to realise this mistake is irresponsible and deplorable,” said Sama chairperson Dr Norman Mabasa.

“It is unacceptable that doctors work the whole month, only to discover that their information was not logged onto the system by the Gauteng Shared Service Centre (GSSC) for payment.”

Democratic Alliance health spokesperson Jack Bloom earlier said hundreds of new doctors in Gauteng hospitals would not be paid this month because of a “foul-up” by the provincial health department and GSSC.

The Gauteng health department denied responsibility for the bungle, saying that this was due to late submission of the doctors’ appointment documents to the GSSC by Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital.

‘Incomprehensible’
Mabasa said: “We insist that the minister strives to employ an efficient manager and management system, in order to guarantee unnecessary administrative inaccuracies and inefficiencies, and to prevent unnecessary risks to the general public.”

He said mismanagement at the hospital had also affected the procurement of equipment.

“It is incomprehensible why such a hospital has been allowed to continue unsupported and unequipped. The shortage covers a wide range of equipment which include: CAT-scanners, cardiac machines, anaesthetic machines and incubators for babies,” said Mabasa.

Sama called for Motsoaledi to “urgently provide medical equipment” for the hospital and to review the procurement procedure involved in the ordering and purchasing of equipment and consumables by the province. — Sapa