Gauteng Health issued 167 PPE tenders since April, R159m to Diaane Consulting Services

The Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Bandile Masuku at the Forest Hill City Testing Station. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency(ANA)

The Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Bandile Masuku at the Forest Hill City Testing Station. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Jul 29, 2020

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Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department of Health says it issued over 167 personal protective equipment tenders between March and July, with the biggest contract being awarded to a Diaane Consulting Services for over R159 million.

The Gauteng Health Department has been under the spotlight in recent works after the Sunday Independent reported that it had issued tenders to the tune of R2.2bn to among them, politically connected business people.

In a presentation submitted to the Health Portfolio Committee on Tuesday, the department said it had appointed 167 companies to supply the department with PPEs.

It said Diaane Consulting Services was the biggest beneficiary between April and July, with a R159m awarded to the company for the supply of surgical masks, FFP2 masks and sanitizer.

A company by the name of African Delight Catering, was the smallest beneficiary, with a R50 000 tender awarded to the company.

The Gauteng Health Department said it was spending about R38.5m on furniture for the Tshwane Expo Centre and Nasrec Field Hospitals, facilities which will provide 700 and 1000 additional general beds for the province.

The budget for medical equipment at both field hospitals was a combined R15m - with R5.6m allocated for Tshwane and R9.4m allocated for Johannesburg.

At Johannesburg's Nasrec Field Hospital, the department would be spending R13 000 per bed for ‘high-low mattress beds with drip rods’ - coughing up R13m for the line item.

Another costly item was the provision of 1000 ‘kick-about for bucket with a buckets’, which cost a combined R3m or R3 000 each.

In Tshwane, the big budget item was the R9.1m reserved for 700 beds at R13 000 each and the R2.5m set aside for mild steel bedside lockers at R2500 each, for 700.

The department is also spending R 1.75m on 700 overbed wooden tables, or R2000 each.

“Our health infrastructure programme remains on track to ensure that we have sufficient number of beds to care for those requiring hospitalisation.

“To date, we have added 2418 beds and we will add 5220 more beds. We continue to increase the human resource capacity. To date we appointed, 994 health professionals comprising 541 nurses, 118 doctors and 295 medical and support staff,” said the department.

Meanwhile, Premier David Makhura and the Provincial Command Council will provide an update on Covid-19 response measures in Gauteng on Thursday.

The department said Makhura would provide an update on investigations by the Special Investigation Unit which are currently underway, including the specific investigation into the procurement of PPEs.

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