INLSA

An artists impression of the new regional hospital planned for Bridge City, near Inanda.

KZN’s Health Department says the “feel and look” of its hospitals and health-care centres will improve dramatically once it has found the 400 artisans needed to improve the maintenance of its facilities.

Health spokesman Chris Maxon said R20 million had been set aside for the hiring of artisans like bricklayers, painters, carpenters and electricians.

“No longer will you be going to a hospital and be told that an ECG machine has gone for repairs for two years,” said Maxon.

He said it made more sense for the department to have in-house staff fixing its equipment and doing maintenance because the outsourcing of jobs and the tender process could drag on for years. Already, 215 of the artisan vacancies had been advertised.

Yesterday, the health portfolio committee heard that billions would be set aside for new projects in the coming financial year. This included the construction of the R1.6bn Dr Pixley ka Seme Regional Hospital at Bridge City near Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu, which would start in September.

That 500-bed hospital would take the load off Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix, and was expected to be completed within three years.

Also on the cards was the refurbishment of Durban’s Addington Hospital, to the tune of R200m because it was “unsafe” and would “not last another 10 years”, said Maxon.

To prevent the province from running out of drugs, R450m had been earmarked for the building of a new pharmaceutical depot, and community health-care centres would be established in Jozini, Umzimkhulu, Dannhauser and Pomeroy, he said.