DA: Gauteng Health should pay its electricity bills
The DA says the notices highlight the need for the Gauteng Health Department to pay its bills like everybody else.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has weighed in after City Power served pre-termination notices on two Gauteng hospitals for outstanding electricity payments.
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WHAT THE DA THINKS ABOUT THE ELECTRICITY BILL CRISIS
According to Jack Bloom, DA Shadow MEC for Health in Gauteng, the notices highlight the need for the Gauteng Health Department to pay its bills like everybody else.
According to the council, the Rahima Moosa Hospital owes R7 million and the Helen Joseph Hospital owes R23 million.
“It is not clear whether other Johannesburg hospitals have been served notices as well.”Bloom
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BLOOM BREAKS DOWN THE ELECTRICITY BILLS FOR THE HOSPITALS
“According to an official reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature in August this year, the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital owed R329.6 million and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital owed R19.3 million,” he revealed.
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He added that the Gauteng Health Department then claimed that R78 million was the total electricity debt owed to all councils in Gauteng.
“I presume that serving notice on hospitals for payment is only a pressure tactic as it would be inhuman to cut electricity to a hospital. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi should step in to ensure all provincial government departments pay their municipality bills on time as this has been a sore point for many years now,” Bloom urged.
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GAUTENG HEALTH DENIES NON-PAYMENT ALLEGATIONS
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Health Department has set the record straight on its electricity accounts.
In a statement, the department said according to its records, Helen Joseph Hospital does not owe City Power the stated amount of R23.4 million. There is however one invoice outstanding for the month of June 2023 which City Power has not uploaded on the E-invoice portal. In addition, Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital payment of R2.7 million from July to August 2023 is being processed.
This is a developing story.