ActionSA Calls for Urgent Action Against Those Implicated in AG Findings in Gauteng Health Department

ActionSA Gauteng is deeply concerned about the Auditor-General’s (AG) most recent report, which reveals continued inappropriate expenditure within the Gauteng Health Department, and calls for urgent action to be taken against those implicated in its findings.

The AG report highlights the health department’s gross misuse of state funds, revealing that the department did not spend the R590 million from the National Tertiary Service Grant that was intended for specialised medical treatments for people in the province, despite the fact that the province has a long waiting list for special treatment.

According to the audit, the Health Department incurred R2.7 billion in irregular expenditure, R17 million in wasteful expenditure, and suffered significant losses of R2.7 billion due to impaired departmental income. This poor performance has worsened the challenges in our public health system. The combination of under-expenditure and irregular spending highlights a clear lack of effective leadership and management in the department.

In addition, the Auditor-General noted that many of the statistics and information provided by the Health Department were incorrect and deceptive. For an institution like the Health Department to provide such misleading information undermines public confidence in it and compromises the lives of our citizens in this province. This further shows the department’s lack of clear leadership and management.

ActionSA firmly opposes these actions by the department. The continued financial mismanagement not only degrades the quality of healthcare services, but it also undermines trust in our institutions on which the majority of the province’s 15 million citizens rely.

It is unacceptable that while our healthcare facilities are under-resourced and struggling to meet the needs of the population, significant portions of the budget are being wasted or mismanaged.

ActionSA calls for urgent action to be taken against those implicated in the AG’s findings, including Mr Lesiba Malotana, who apparently was appointed without the necessary qualifications, and has been investigated for allegations of possible irregularities of R8 million.

ActionSA is committed to keeping government officials accountable. We will continue to advocate for the professionalisation of civil service, and champion the right to equal access to healthcare for all citizens in Gauteng Province.

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