Dear Editor
The DA will write to the chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to request the appearance of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the national and Free State Departments of Health, and the senior management of the Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital in Parliament.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has concluded its investigation into the human rights violations at the Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital in the Free State that the DA reported in 2022.
The SAHRC confirmed the DA’s findings of staff shortages, an aging and blocked sewage system, persistent infrastructure challenges, and a hospital that was visibly dirty and untidy.
The hospital’s senior management revealed vacancies of senior positions due to budget shortfalls, and several capacity constraints impacting among others, neonatal and obstetrics care, surgeries, and care for mental health patients. The HRC also noted security concerns, which the hospital admitted to.
The DA welcomes the Commission commitment to continue monitoring the hospital to ensure both that the Free State Department of Health and the hospital administration is held accountable and that crucial interventions are implemented.
The DA will also continue to do oversight at the hospital to monitor progress, despite the management’s hostility when we attempted to conduct oversights last year. Pelonomi Hospital is one of the hospitals in the Free State that have accounted for the most medico-legal claims since 2020 – R71 164 999 in 2024 – and the DA will not be intimidated into neglecting our oversight duty.
Regards
Michele Clarke MP
DA Spokesperson on Health