4 October 2007
A task team made up of officials from the national and Gauteng Department of
Health visited the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto to investigate the
conditions at the Maternity and Neo-Natal Section of the hospital.
The investigation was initiated following a media report alleging a shortage
of baby cribs (bassinettes) at the hospital by The Star newspaper which also
published a picture of three babies that were placed in a cardboard box instead
of cribs.
At the meeting with the task team, the hospital management conceded that
placing babies in a box instead of a bassinette is wrong. The management
indicated that they were not aware that a cardboard box had been used to
accommodate babies and that this should not have happened.
The Department of Health will ensure that the procurement of bassinettes is
accelerated and they are delivered to the Maternity Section as matter of
urgency. Currently there are 119 bassinettes in the neonatal section while, at
least 150 are required leading to a shortage of 31. At the cost of R2 000,00
per bassinette, the total expenditure will be less than R70 000,00.
The task team identified deficiencies on the management side of the hospital
relating to the determination of priorities, allocation of budget and
management and control of available resources.
The management of the hospital has failed to prioritise the core-functions
of the hospital in the allocation of about R1,1 billion annual budget allocated
to the hospital. For instance, the team established that the hospital was
spending more than R9,4 million on telephone accounts per year while only R7
million was allocated for procurement of all medical equipment including
bassinettes, cot-beds, infusion pumps, blood pressure machines, etc.
The Department of Health has therefore decided that this budget be
immediately reviewed and ensure that it focuses on improving service
delivery.
To improve management capacity at the hospital, a multi-disciplinary team
will be sent from the Gauteng Department of Health to the Chris Hani
Baragwanath Hospital. The team of experts will put in place a turnaround
strategy for the hospital to ensure better management, better utilisation of
human and financial resources and the more effective procurement of much-needed
equipment.
The team of experts will also seek measures to reduce long delays in the
procurement system and address challenges relating to maintenance of the
hospital. At least R150 000 has been allocated for repair and improvement of
taps and for installation of appropriate soap dispensers to ensure compliance
with infection control policy requirements.
The statistics provided by the Clinical Heads for the Maternal and Neonatal
units confirm fairly good clinical outcomes and quality of care provided by the
two units.
Generally, there is commitment amongst health workers at the hospital to
deliver quality of care. The Department of Health will take all possible steps
to ensure that the management systems at the hospital enhance the delivery of
quality healthcare to all communities served by Chris Hani Baragwanath
Hospital.
Contact:
Sibani Mngadi
Department of Health
Cell: 082 772 0161
Zanele Mngadi
Gauteng Department of Health
Cell: 082 330 1148
Issued by: National and Gauteng Department of Health
4 October 2007
