Over R3 Million Spent on Security per Month at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
- Over R40 million is reportedly spent per year on security at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital
- The hospital has been making national headlines since a fire broke out and a robbery followed shortly afterwards
- Reports state that around R3 million is spent per month on guarding services and surveillance at the hospital
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The Health Department in Gauteng is reportedly said to have spent over R40 million a year on security guards and surveillance at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJH). However, criminals were still able to break through security and steal items.
In a written reply to DA's Jack Bloom, MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi revealed the above. Bloom, the opposition party's Shadow Health MEC, tabled the questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
Source: Getty Images
According to News24, over R3 million was spent per month on security and items that were recently stolen were valued at R200 000. The exact amount spent on guarding services was exactly R2 894 424.34 per month. Electronic security surveillance services amounted to R450 000 a month.
The report explained that 10 desktops, six plasma TVs, a fridge and three laptops were stolen. In April, the hospital was shut down due to a fire that was started in its dispensary department. Bloom also enquired about how the items were stolen from the hospital which had, from January 2020, spent over R60 million on security.
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A report by IOL stated that Mokgethi spoke about there not being any major problems faced with the stolen laptops and desktops as the data on the devices was saved on the hospital's main server.
DA Shadow Health MEC criticises pace of reopening of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
Previously, Briefly News reported that the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom is critical of the slow pace at which the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) in Johannesburg is reopening.
Bloom made the remarks during a recent exclusive Briefly News interview. The hospital has seen parts of it reopening following the fire that gutted it in April but the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development confirmed that several other parts are only expected to reopen in 2023.
Bloom, who keeps a close eye on all matters surrounding public hospitals in Gauteng, said this is not a reasonable turnaround. He said he is not satisfied that the process of getting the health facility fully operational, which needs to attend to the primary care needs of 2 000 patients a day, is being taken seriously.
Source: Briefly News
