Gauteng’s health department is under fire after a viral social media video exposed the crumbling state of public hospitals. The video, shared by Tom London, has caused global outrage. It highlights the severe decay in healthcare facilities, leaving patients and healthcare workers in terrible conditions.
Hospitals are falling apart
Despite the crisis, the department failed to spend R2.7 billion of its budget, while it recorded R2.26 billion in irregular expenditure and R15 million in wasteful spending in the 2022/23 financial year. Hospitals are falling apart, doctors are overworked, and patients are dying due to a lack of care.
Healthcare workers struggling to manage frustrated patients
This isn’t the first warning. Last year, a young doctor was suspended after raising similar concerns. Instead of addressing the root problems, political leaders have offered only empty promises, visiting the whistleblower but failing to act on the broader issues.
Healthcare workers are struggling to manage frustrated patients while working long hours. Doctors and nurses face burnout as they deal with severe staff shortages. The leadership must take responsibility for this failure and focus on real solutions to fix Gauteng’s healthcare crisis.