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Gauteng cedes control of hospitals to managers
Chantelle Benjamin, Johannesburg Metro Editor, Business Day
2006-07-17
GAUTENG hospital managers have been given full power to run their institutions, including the power to hire and fire staff and control their own budgets, in a bid to improve service delivery.
Gauteng is the first province to take President Thabo Mbeki up on his call made during his state of the nation address in February for the delegation of responsibilities to managers of hospitals.
In the past, the ordering of stock, the filling of vacant posts and disciplinary action, as well as infrastructure upgrades, was handled at provincial level, causing delays that affected the running of the province's hospitals.
The decision will introduce greater accountability to hospital CEOs, who have blamed unwieldy bureaucracy for staff shortages or poor service.
The move, by newly appointed Gauteng health MEC Brian Hlongwa, was welcomed yesterday by politicians and doctors alike, who have been calling for hospitals to be allowed to be in control of their own affairs.
Speaking to managers of Gauteng's 28 hospitals in Johannesburg yesterday, Hlongwa warned that he would come down hard on the manager of any hospital where there were reports of medical shortages, lack of cleanliness and disciplinary problems.
I am going to make your life difficult if you do not perform, the MEC said.
According to the fourth-quarter performance report, the province's hospitals and clinics failed to spend R44m for maintenance in the 2005-06 financial year, ending in March. The worst culprits were academic hospitals.
The first hospital to be given full management control under the new system is Chris Hani Baragwanath, which will now be run by its former clinical manager, Dr Arthur Manning, whose appointment as CEO was announced yesterday.
Ramafoko Motshwarateu was appointed CEO of the Dr George Mukhari Hospital.
Hospitals will now have to establish their own supply chain management units to manage on their own the procurement of goods and services.
The units will be able to approve the acquisition of goods and services in excess of R200000, and R1m for capital expenditure by tender.
Hospital heads will have to send regular reports to the provincial office to assist with monitoring and assistance.
Dr Ram Saloojee, head of Gauteng's health portfolio committee, applauded the decision yesterday.
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