Corpses left in limbo at Helen Joseph Hospital due to a shortage of cartridges
The recent reports on service delivery issues at Helen Joseph Hospital have once again cast a spotlight on the state of Gauteng province's health challenges.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is horrified to learn that people who have died over the past 13 days at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg cannot be transferred to government mortuaries because the hospital has no printer cartridges to print the necessary documents.
The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomanto Nkomo-Ralehoko, ensure that this hospital is stocked with adequate cartridges and resources so as not to interrupt and inconvenience any burials, adding unnecessary pain, frustration, and trauma to the families of the deceased.
As a result of this administrative incompetence, since 17 June 2025, families have not been able to claim their loved ones for burial, as postmortems cannot be undertaken and death certificates cannot be issued.
The DA has received this shocking information from credible sources who are calling for immediate intervention.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko must hang her head in shame. Despite her 'shouting from the rooftops', that the Gauteng Department of Health is functioning well, the fact that the paperwork for the deceased cannot be processed shows that the department is irrevocably broken.
This is also further evidence that under Panyaza Lesufi's administration, both the living and the dead are not treated with dignity in Gauteng. Because the Premier refuses to fire his MEC or see her faults, the people of Gauteng have to suffer.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would never allow families to be disrespected in this manner. We would not let consumables run out in a way that disadvantages hospitals and other government entities from executing their mandate.
Madeleine Hicklin MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Healt
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The South African
14 hours ago
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Gauteng Health denies body backlog at Helen Joseph Hospital
The Gauteng Department of Health has firmly rejected claims that Helen Joseph Hospital experienced a backlog in processing deceased patients due to a shortage of printer cartridges. ADVERTISEMENT The Democratic Alliance (DA) alleged that corpses could not be transferred to government mortuaries for almost two weeks because of printing delays. However, the department clarified that the hospital currently has only one body in its mortuary, a patient who was declared dead on arrival last Wednesday. Gauteng Health Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba explained that the patient was unidentified at arrival but has since been linked to a family in KwaZulu-Natal. 'The body will now be handed over to the forensic services on Monday,' Modiba confirmed. ADVERTISEMENT Temporary printing issues resolved at Helen Joseph Hospital While the department acknowledged that the hospital did experience technical difficulties, it insists the matter was handled promptly. Modiba said printing problems occurred between 17 and 23 June due to delayed payments to service providers. Despite this, the hospital implemented contingency plans to continue operations. 'Five pending cases were processed by 24 June,' he said. Modiba said that the department had acted to resolve the matter. 'The department would like to reiterate that currently Helen Joseph Hospital has no corpses that are outstanding and awaiting to be processed as a result of printing challenges,' he added. DA criticism met with pushback The Democratic Alliance's claims of mismanagement and neglect at the Helen Joseph Hospital have drawn criticism from the department, which views the allegations as misleading. The department maintains that all patients have been processed appropriately and that no backlog exists. It also reassured the public that steps have been taken to avoid a recurrence of such technical issues. Is public trust in healthcare institutions at risk when administrative issues are politicised? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
21 hours ago
- IOL News
Corpses left in limbo at Helen Joseph Hospital due to a shortage of cartridges
The recent reports on service delivery issues at Helen Joseph Hospital have once again cast a spotlight on the state of Gauteng province's health challenges. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is horrified to learn that people who have died over the past 13 days at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg cannot be transferred to government mortuaries because the hospital has no printer cartridges to print the necessary documents. The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomanto Nkomo-Ralehoko, ensure that this hospital is stocked with adequate cartridges and resources so as not to interrupt and inconvenience any burials, adding unnecessary pain, frustration, and trauma to the families of the deceased. As a result of this administrative incompetence, since 17 June 2025, families have not been able to claim their loved ones for burial, as postmortems cannot be undertaken and death certificates cannot be issued. The DA has received this shocking information from credible sources who are calling for immediate intervention. MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko must hang her head in shame. Despite her 'shouting from the rooftops', that the Gauteng Department of Health is functioning well, the fact that the paperwork for the deceased cannot be processed shows that the department is irrevocably broken. This is also further evidence that under Panyaza Lesufi's administration, both the living and the dead are not treated with dignity in Gauteng. Because the Premier refuses to fire his MEC or see her faults, the people of Gauteng have to suffer. A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would never allow families to be disrespected in this manner. We would not let consumables run out in a way that disadvantages hospitals and other government entities from executing their mandate. Madeleine Hicklin MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Healt
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