The Gauteng MEC of Infrastructure Development, Tasneem Motara, has dispatched a joint team of officials from her department and the provincial department of health to assess and resolve the widely reported problems at the oncology ward of the busy Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
“Upon conducting an investigation, it was discovered that the system was down due to the faulty circulation pump. An order has subsequently been issued to replace the faulty pump. In the meantime, however, the department of infrastructure development has immediately instructed our own contractor to implement repairs and get the system running as soon as possible,” said Gauteng infrastructure development’s Bongiwe Gambu.
She said MEC Motara had also expressed her regret for the inconvenience caused to the patients and workers at Steve Biko Academic Hospital Oncology Ward.
Earlier this month, acting chief executive of the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Dr Mathabo Mathebula, denied allegations that the hospital’s oncology ward was under-capacitated and on the verge of collapse.

“We need to clarify that at no stage was there a shutdown. At no stage was there any machines broken down, it was the air conditioning that was being repaired and we battled to fix it,” she said at the time.
“It got repaired over time for two months, it was being repaired by the department of infrastructure until we resorted to calling the machine manufacturers to install the air cooling system that is now working,” Mathebula said.
Mathebula addressed media at the busy hospital after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) conducted a site inspection at the facility following the widespread allegations.


Source: African News Agency (ANA)