The Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO) in the Eastern Cape is calling for the removal of the Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth, saying under her leadership the province’s hospitals are in a state of decay.
AZAPO’s Nosiphiwo Manona says Grey Hospital in King William’s Town, Dora Nginza and Livingstone Hospitals in Gqeberha, are examples of hospitals that are in appalling condition and have become a danger to patients and workers.
The call comes after a 3-day oversight visit of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health to Nelson Mandela Bay Metro hospitals at the weekend. The committee expressed its dismay about the state of the region’s hospitals.
Video: Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health finds Nelson Mandela Bay hospitals in a dire state
The provincial Health Department has asked for 30 days in which to respond.
Manona says, “MEC Nomakhosazana Meth has failed the people of the Eastern Cape, through her neglect of ensuring that oversights are effective. She has also put many lives in danger by failing to promote and insist on services quality assurance, the cleanliness of health facilities and ensuring that staff deployment is adequate to address the demand.”
“Professional health workers have been forced to desert their oath to provide excellent care for their patients by the failure of the state to enable them to be true to their service,” added Manona.
