Progress as 11 CEOs appointed at state hospitals

The Gauteng department of health has appointed 11 CEOs at state hospitals as part of its goal to improve governance, patient experience, staff morale and clinical services.

“The new team is composed of a mixture of young and experienced managers, with vast experience in the health sector,” said health MEC Bandile Masuku. “We are confident they will bring renewed energy in the public health sector.”

Veteran health care monitor Jack Bloom, a member of the provincial legislature for the DA, said: “They will have a tough job in fixing hospitals that have been without top leadership for years in some cases.”

Dr Naing Soe “is a particularly good choice” for the troubled Mamelodi Hospital, said Bloom.

Soe, 56, has been CEO for six years at the Tshwane District Hospital and previously worked as clinical manager at Mamelodi Hospital. He has an MBBS degree. Bloom described him as “hands-on and attentive to complaints”.

The other appointments are:

Regional hospitals

Edenvale Hospital: Dr Jatin Champaklal Ganda, 46. He has been acting CEO at Bertha Gxowa Hospital since April 2018. He was CEO at Carletonville Hospital for three years. He acted in the position of CEO at South Rand Hospital in August 2014 and March 2015. He is in possession of an MBCHB degree.

Pholosong Hospital: Dr Ashley Mthunzi, 41. He has been acting CEO at Pholosong Hospital since June 2018. He has worked as a clinical manager at Far East Rand Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. He has a bachelor of medicine and surgery degree and a postgraduate diploma in occupational medicine and health.

Far East Rand Hospital: Dr Zachariah Sipho Mathaba, 52. He has been a clinical manager at Edenvale Regional Hospital since March 2019 and worked as a clinical manager at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital for two years. He has master of business administration (MBA) and MBCHB degrees.

Sebokeng Hospital: Makibi Affectionate Madolo, 57. She is acting CEO at Sebokeng Hospital. She holds a bachelor of administration (public management), a national diploma in nuclear medicine (radiography) and a national diploma in radiography (diagnostic).

Tambo Memorial Hospital: Zenzo Kwezi Oscar Ndabula, 50. He has been a quality assurance manager at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital since in 2016. Ndabula has worked in the private and public health sectors. He is now studying towards a diploma in health science education. He holds a BCur degree in nursing and a postgraduate diploma in marketing management.

Specialised hospitals

Weskoppies Hospital: Mokete Abram Motaung, 48. He has been working at the national department of health as deputy director: forensic mental health services since January 2015. He has a master of business administration (MBA) degree, a postgraduate diploma in health leadership and a diploma in general community, psychiatric and midwifery science.

District hospitals

Odi Hospital: Avhapfani Musie, 48, has been deployed from the Mmametlake Hospital (Mpumalanga department of health). He previously worked at Mpungwe and Kwa-Mhlanga hospitals as CEO. He has a diploma in speech and hearing therapy, a bachelor of arts diploma, a university education diploma, a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology and audiology, a BA in augmentative and alternative communication, an MBA  and a master of public health degree.

Cullinan Care and Rehab Centre: Thizwilondi Ananias Magadze, 42. He is moving from the position of Manager: Nursing at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, where he has been since July 2014. He is in possession of a master's degree in Nursing Science, a B Cur in Education and Administration, a diploma in Nursing Science and Midwifery and a diploma in Advanced Nursing.

Bronkhorstspruit Hospital: Phumzile Edisia Nkumane, 44. She is now the operational manager at Tshwane Health District, where she has been since April 2016. She has worked at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital as a professional nurse and as a clinical nurse practitioner at Sokhulumi Clinic. She is in possession of Bachelor of Nursing Degree, a diploma in Nursing Science and a diploma in Clinical Nursing Science, Health Assessment, Treatment and Care.

Carletonville Hospital: Sonwabo Lindani, 41. He has been an assistant director: Quality Assurance since 2016. Before that he was senior project manager at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), responsible for monitoring disease outbreaks nationally. He is in possession of master's in Public Health, an advance diploma in Health Systems Management, a higher level certificate in Hospital Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Administration and Management.

The department found no suitable candidates for Bertha Gxowa Hospital, Jubilee Hospital and Heidelberg Hospital, even after re-advertising the posts. CEOs for these positions will now be headhunted.

Bloom questioned why vacant CEO posts for the Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph hospitals had not been advertised.

“The busy Rahima Moosa Hospital has been without a CEO since July last year, and Helen Joseph since the beginning of this year. Why has this been allowed to continue?”

In addition, he said, positions had not been filled at the Thelle Mogoerane and George Mukhari hospitals, where the CEOs have been suspended for more than a year.

“Premier David Makhura promised that all hospitals would have full-time CEOs in the first 100 days, but there are at least seven out of the 32 hospitals where this has not been achieved.

“This failure is most disappointing.”