Patients at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus are suffering due to a critical shortage of medical supplies, caused by mismanagement and possibly corrupt purchasing decisions that depleted the hospital’s budget.
Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC NomantuNkomo-Ralehoko disclosed this alarming situation in a written response to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
A report by the Internal Control Directorate, submitted to the hospital CEO in June this year, highlights serious irregularities in the hospital’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) process. These irregularities have undermined fair and competitive procurement, with findings that include:
• Lack of market research
• Failure to rotate suppliers
• Inconsistent price preference approvals
• Documents signed by unauthorized individuals
• Failure to obtain the required three quotations
Additionally, there was rampant “order splitting” to avoid the R1 million tender threshold, mirroring practices at Tembisa Hospital, where the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) uncovered R3 billion in irregular spending.
The MEC confirmed that poor SCM controls led to inflated prices, exhausting the budget, and leaving the hospital without essential medical consumables. The audit report attributes this crisis to inadequate management oversight and monitoring systems.
Despite these damning findings, no disciplinary action has been taken, as the hospital is still awaiting a final signed report to act on the recommendations.
I suspect millions of rand have been misused or stolen, like the scandal at Tembisa Hospital.
Immediate management changes are needed at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital. The DA calls for the appointment of a new CEO to enforce proper oversight, implement audit recommendations, and ensure cost-effective procurement that prioritizes patient care.