The DA welcomes the appointment of Dr Nkele Lesia as the new CEO of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
This appointment is long overdue as the hospital has been without a permanent CEO for three years since former Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu removed the previous CEO for unexplained reasons.
Dr Lesia will be in charge of a R3 billion budget and 6000 employees.
I hope that she provides the necessary strong leadership to rebuild morale at the hospital and fix deep-rooted problems that adversely affect the quality of patient care.
A major priority should be reducing the waiting times for surgery which have increased alarmingly e.g. three to five years for a hip operation.
Ultimately, only a DA-led government in Gauteng can bring the kind of change that ensures all the province’s healthcare facilities are led by the best and treat our people with dignity.