DA sounds alarm after ‘recurring’ fires at health facilities

Concerns have been raised over recurring fires at Gauteng health facilities, with the DA sounding the alarm over hospitals’ noncompliance with health and safety regulations.

This follows a devastating fire that ripped through the accident and emergency unit of the Thembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Ekurhuleni at the weekend. 

DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom said the party is demanding a speedy investigation and consequences for any identified failures that may have contributed to the fire on Saturday. 

Bloom said none of Gauteng’s 37 public hospitals comply fully with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS), with fire being the biggest risk. 

“This is according to a recent Gauteng health department presentation to an oversight committee in the Gauteng legislature,” he said. 

“Sixteen hospitals scored less than 75% OHS compliance, mostly because of missing fire prevention and fire suppression equipment, and lack of fire signage and escape lighting. Thembisa Hospital only scored 72% OHS compliance, the same as the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital despite their previous fire.” 

The Thembisa hospital fire comes almost four years after a fire caused the evacuation of 700 patients and the destruction of about R40m in hospital supplies at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on April 16 2021. 

Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said in a statement that patients were safely evacuated from Thembisa hospital and there were no injuries or casualties reported because of the fire incident. 

“The hospital is currently not receiving patients and will remain on divert [for ambulances] until further notice. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The public will be kept updated on any development about the situation,” Modiba said. 

Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said: “We understand the distress that this incident may have caused to staff, patients and their families. We will restore the damaged unit. We will continue caring for our patients, and we will continue communicating openly and honestly as we recover.” 

Bloom said: “Unfortunately, there is a history of drawn-out investigations and lack of consequences after previous hospital fires. While arson has been identified as the cause of the devastating fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital five years ago, the hospital CEO was not fired despite identified deficiencies in a report by the State Security Agency. There has also been no progress in apprehending the arsonists.” 

He said Thembisa hospital has been “mismanaged and looted by fishy contracts for years now, and it does not even have a permanent CEO”. 

“A top-class CEO is urgently needed to ensure that full services are reinstated, and measures are taken to alleviate the severe overcrowding that will be worsened by the fire. The DA in Gauteng will push for full accountability and speedy efforts to fix Thembisa Hospital,” Bloom said. 

Cosatu Gauteng chair Amos Monyela said the labour federation was “deeply troubled” by the Thembisa hospital fire. 

“Hospitals are meant to provide medical care for the sick and injured, and it is crucial that they be safe spaces, but the recurring fires at health facilities remain a source of concern for the workers and the citizens of Gauteng,” he said. 

“Cosatu Gauteng urgently calls on the department of health and department of employment & labour to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current state of all health institutions in the province to determine the extent of the occupational health and safety challenges, including the dilapidating infrastructure, prioritise necessary repairs or refurbishment and ensure compliance in terms of health and safety regulations.” 

The Gauteng health department was allocated a budget of R66bn for 2025/26 and a total of R209.1bn over the medium-term expenditure framework. 

mkentanel@businesslive.co.za