The CEO of the 150-bed Bloemfontein hospital, Jacoline Seboko, told OFM News they have been busy with the installation of Distribution Boards (DB) to improve the supply of electricity at the ageing facility.

Seboko says the contractor has done work on about ten wards and the facility reaped rewards of the upgrades during the winter. The system has in previous years been prone to fires, due to old installations. Despite these improvements and the money spent on this, the hospital indicated in its report presented to delegates from the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) last week, that it is still non-compliant in a number of areas including the supply of uninterrupted power. Seboko, who was absent during this oversight visit, added there have been other developments.

She says they are in the final stages of upgrading one of the forensic admission wards. She says they’ve got state patients – individuals who have committed crimes and are deemed mentally ill – waiting at the Grootvlei Correctional Facility to be admitted to that ward. She says they will work on other wards from there onwards.

PHOTO: Olebogeng Motse

These state patients have been temporarily accommodated at Grootvlei’s Medium A centre.

Last week NCOP delegates raised their concerns over major refurbishments and upgrades at the institution being pushed back to the 2018/19 financial year.  Project Manager at the Free State Department of Health, Nqobile Baartman, told the delegation the R6 million that was set aside for upgrades to the building had to be used to upgrade two substations at the facility due to electricity and water supply issues.

OFM News