Johannesburg - Controversial hospital administrator Dr Daisy Pekane, who once headed the Natalspruit Hospital for a stint marked by problems and suspensions, has been removed as chief executive officer of the Tembisa Hospital.
On Thursday, Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu forced Pekane to take special leave after staging a surprise visit to the hospital on Wednesday.
The visit came following a string of complaints, which had been received by the health department from disgruntled staff and members of the public.
“We can’t act as though we are not aware of public complaints about the service being delivered at this high-level hospital,” Mahlangu was quoted as saying.
Pekane was placed on special leave with immediate effect and would have to report to the health department’s central office on August 17, “where her expertise will be required in the management of the health sector in the province”.
The Sunday Independent has established that residents were unhappy with the quality of service they have been receiving.
In addition, staff were concerned about Pekane’s lack of leadership and the resignation of skilled doctors and nurses over the low-morale and poor working conditions.
Dr Barbara-Ann Ribeiro, a former clinical manager at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, has been appointed as acting chief executive.
Pekane, who seems to have nine lives, also came under fire in June last year when Gauteng Premier David Makhura made an unannounced visit to the Tembisa Hospital and found she was not present that day.
In 2004, community members, staff and workers’ unions demanded Pekane’s removal as head of the Natalspruit Hospital after at least 76 children died there over a period of three months.
Protesters had to march to the offices of then-Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa to demand the removal of Pekane and drastic action to employ more nurses and doctors.
Two Gauteng health department reports at the time confirmed how bad matters really were at the 784-bed facility, dubbed by staff as “the hospital from hell”.
One report revealed that lax hygiene in the children’s ward contributed to the deaths of six children from a preventable infection earlier that year.
A second report revealed that there were 569 staff vacancies at the hospital and the wards were overcrowded.
Pekane was again in the news in October when the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) in Gauteng appealed to health authorities in the province to put an end to the “chaos” at the Tembisa Hospital.
This following the forceful relocation of nursing students by her to make way for doctors.
This week Denosa welcomed the removal of Pekane and called for the total overhaul of the whole management at the facility “as the service quality at the institution has been compromised due to disunity at executive level”.
The quality of service at the hospital is a great source of frustration for both healthworkers and patients due to a constant shortage of resources (both human and financial), equipment and supplies of medication.
In some cases, the facility runs short of supplies as basic as toilet paper, not to mention other key resources and medication.
“Denosa calls on the provincial government to consider placing the facility under administration as a short-term solution to the current problems,” said a statement.
Pekane could not be reached for comment and all enquiries were referred to the provincial health department.
Gauteng Health Department spokesman Steve Mabona said while the removal of Pekane was officially temporary, he doubted that she would return to the helm of the hospital in the future.
Mabona said the hospital faced several challenges with regard to how it was managed.
“The challenges experienced consequently impacted on service delivery in the entire hospital,” Mabona said.
“We got a red flag when the members of the community said things were not happening at the hospital and they had to wait for long hours before being attended to.
“We witnessed a number of people standing in long queues when we visited the hospital on Wednesday,” he said.
Mabona said the intention was to turn around the way the hospital was managed.
“Anything that happens at the hospital is the responsibility of the chief executive.
“She needs to ensure that the hospital is managed properly.
“Things could have been better at the hospital,” Mabona said.
The Sunday Independent