Charlotte Maxeke cancer treatment facility to open this week - Gauteng govt
Gauteng government is set to open the cancer treatment wing at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital this in Johannesburg week.
This comes after the Parktown hospital was gutted by fire last in April of this year.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the provincial government paid the hospital a visit on Tuesday to inspect the damaged caused by the fire.
The Health Department's acting head Lesiba Malotana said it’s unclear when the hospital will be fully operational again.
"We are doing everything possible to ensure that it [Charlotte Maxeke Hospital] returns to service starting with oncology," he said.
Malotana could not answer questions on how much it is going to cost the government to repair the damage caused by the fire.
"At the moment, we don't know until all the work is finished. We have to look at the work that needs to be done in the building damaged by the fire," he said.
The commission’s Buang Jones said the SARHC is satisfied with the interventions by the provincial government at the hospital.
"We will continue to monitor this matter because we are required in terms of the constitution to also monitor the observance of human rights and the department of health has a constitutional function of ensuring access to health services.
"We know that the healthcare system in Gauteng is jammed, you can imagine what happens when a facility as big as Charlotte Maxeke Hospital cannot be accessed by the public," said Jones.
