Gauteng Health dismisses claims it failed to maximise allocated budget

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has dismissed claims that it failed to spend the allocated budget to deliver the much-needed healthcare services to residents in the province.

This follows criticism by the Democratic Alliance (DA) about a mismanagement of funds despite crumbling hospitals, staff vacancies, unpaid suppliers and insufficient equipment.

However, the department said the last time it underspent on its allocated budget was in the previous financial year.

According to the department’s current financial records for 2025/26, the department is currently projecting an overspending of R1.2 billion on the adjusted budget.

The acting chief financial officer at the GDoH, Willie Sambo, explained: “This projected overspend is primarily driven by the following: the settlement of historical accruals, particularly for medicines, medical supplies and consumables; increased service demand across health facilities, including higher patient volumes; cost pressures linked to medical consumables and services exceeding the inflation assumptions applied during the 2025/26 budget formulation process.”

Sambo said significant measures have been implemented to stabilise financial management and improve compliance.

“These include strengthened expenditure controls, intensified oversight of payment processes.”