Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom says the Gauteng Department of Health is known for not paying for municipality services on time.
This after City Power threatened to disconnect power to several Johannesburg hospitals.
The power utility says Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, Helen Joseph Hospital, Rahima Moosa Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital owe the entity more than R40 million.
However, the department says there are discrepancies in City Power’s billing system for the province’s hospitals because they have serviced most of the outstanding debts.
Bloem says the party has noted with concern the threats to cut off electricity supply to the hospitals.
“The Gauteng Health Department is notorious for not paying people on time. The legal requirement to pay suppliers we got is 30 days and regularly they pay fewer than half the suppliers as a result. They are owing suppliers hundreds of millions not only for electricity but other services that the department is in areas.”
“And I called earlier this year that the Premier must step in. This is getting really serious to have city power threatening to cut off electricity to major hospitals. It would be unconstitutional to say the least and it’s a threat of a right to life by cutting off electricity to a hospital,” adds Bloem.
The audio below is the full interview with Jack Bloom:
