DA calls for funding for KZN hospital

The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called on the department of health to continue funding the Pongola hospital in the Zululand district.

"The Democratic Alliance is calling on the department of health to rethink its decision to cease subsidising the Pongola hospital come the end of March," said DA health spokeswoman Makhosazana Mdlalose.

She said the department's decision had serious implications for the hospital, which not only serviced the community of Pongola but also attended to patients from Swaziland and Mpumalanga.

"Without this state subsidy, the hospital will have to close down and many will be disadvantaged," Mdlalose said.

She said by bringing this out in the public domain, the DA hoped a potential crisis could be averted, as was the case with the McCord hospital.

In February, the health department announced it would take over the running of Durban's McCord Hospital.

The hospital had been set to close after its funds from a United States donor dried up.

The department of health could not be immediately reached for comment.