Gauteng health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has disclosed that her predecessors spent R500m on a data storage facility that the department did not need. In her third visit to the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus‚ Ramokgopa detailed the state of her department’s finances. Ramokgopa said she had already identified areas where the department had been reckless in its spending. "For example‚ the department procured V-Block‚ which is a data storage facility which is very big and can accommodate the whole of Gauteng government and maybe one or two other provinces‚" she said last week. "The estimated cost is almost R500m. This [happened] while … the department had a facility available that they could have used, but still went on to procure this unnecessary facility. We are looking at the contractual agreements that were there. Should it be necessary‚ we will approach the court to review this contract. That money is for patient care." She said the department faced two financial risks. "The first...

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