Public Protector finds some Gauteng public hospitals failed to respond to COVID-19 pandemic

JOHANNESBURG -The Public Protector has found that "administrative deficiencies" led to some of Gauteng's public hospitals failure to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The provincial representative for Office of the Public Protector, Vusumuzi Dlamini, appeared before the Gauteng Legislature on Wednesday to release reports into some of his office investigations. 

In August 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Public Protector investigated six public hospitals to determine how they were handling the influx of patients. 

As the country’s most populated province, Gauteng had the highest number of people infected with the coronavirus. 

However, Dlamini said Gauteng hospitals were not prepared to effectively respond to this due to historical and present administrative challenges. 

Dlamini said that at the Jubilee Hospital, healthcare workers who contracted the virus were not always granted special leave as required. 

At the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, there were delays in the distribution of personal protective equipment, poor infrastructure, and no dedicated wards for psychiatric patients with COVID-19. 

Dlamini has directed all six of the hospital heads to present a report of how they plan to address these administrative deficiencies for the next pandemic or similar event.