This comes in the middle of the SAHRC’s team visit to the province with the aim of monitoring the state of healthcare facilities.

The Free State Provincial Manager of SAHRC, Thabang Kheswa, stated they have so far visited the Pelonomi Hospital and MUCPP clinic in Bloemfontein, and saw the challenges the two facilities are faced with.

On Wednesday, MEC Montsheng Tsiu and HOD Godfrey Mahlatsi will outline their plans to elevate the state of the sector.

The other facilities in the sector that will get visited by the SAHRC will be Manapo Hospital in Qwaqwa on Thursday and will end with a meeting with the management of the hospital to discuss their issues.

The last facility to be visited by SAHRC will be the Dihlabeng Hospital in Bethlehem, which will also end with a meeting between them and the management of the hospital.

ALSO READ: Staff shortage a thorn in #Pelonomi's side

At the first facility, they made an oversight visit to Pelonomi Hospital. Kheswa explained that they found out that staff shortage is still a huge issue. The issue has previously been reported and the department had replied they will be giving it attention. It remains unclear if the specialists the department had set to appoint were eventually appointed.

However, OFM News previously reported that the issue of staff shortages at hospitals is a national one; as DA member of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Michéle Clarke, told OFM News that the department has not communicated when they will be able to fill over 21 000 posts of nursing staff in the country.

OFM News