Latest news with #GDoH
The Citizen
21 minutes ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Protect your child against diseases with immunisation, says health department
Protect your child against diseases with immunisation, says health department Residents are urged by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) to immunise their children as Tshwane records a 76.6% immunisation rate. The stat comes after the recent data from the department, which shows that 213 389 children under the age of one year were fully vaccinated during the 2024/25 financial year. This translates to 82.3% coverage, which falls short of the provincial target of 90%. Similarly, only 78.4% of children received their second dose of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine, well below the 92% target. As mentioned, Tshwane's rate stands at 76.6%, the Sedibeng District recorded a 98% full immunisation under one year, and 96.1% MR second dose coverage. Provincial Health MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, said that protecting children from preventable diseases is part of upholding their right to health. 'Failing to complete a child's immunisation schedule is not just a medical oversight; it is a silent threat to their well-being and a subtle form of neglect. We must all recommit to protecting the rights of our children by ensuring they receive every scheduled vaccine on time because a healthy child is a protected child,' Nkomo-Ralehoko said. Immunisation is an intervention that protects children against life-threatening infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, polio, and hepatitis B. The GDoH said immunisation services are freely available at all public health facilities in Gauteng, but not enough children are completing their vaccination schedules, putting them at risk. The department has also identified poor adherence to follow-up appointments as one of the contributing factors to underperformance in certain districts. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to visit their nearest clinic or mobile outreach point to check their child's immunisation status and catch up on any missed vaccines. ALSO READ: Collect your June SASSA grants from tomorrow Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
a day ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Gauteng Health gets R100m boost to fix hospital equipment and laundry services
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has welcomed the injection of much-needed financial resources to help it tackle the ongoing challenges posed by ageing machinery and critical equipment across hospitals, particularly in laundry services, which requires an overhaul. Currently, Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, which relies on laundry services from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, has a backlog due to challenges with its machinery. In the meantime, Dunswart Laundries is assisting with the existing backlog to ensure that patient care is not compromised. ALSO READ: Gauteng Health adjusts tariffs for patients In response to these pressing concerns, the GDoH has been allocated R100 million by the National Department of Health for the 2025/26 financial year to support its recapitalisation programme, which aims to refurbish and replace outdated critical equipment and machinery in hospitals. Out of this amount, R50m is specifically set aside to address laundry machinery challenges across hospitals in the province. 'As part of this initiative, an assessment of the current equipment and machinery has been conducted to determine which machines require refurbishing and which ones need to be replaced. 'This evaluation will enable us to address the needs of facilities more effectively. To date, work has already commenced with the refurbishment of theatres at Carletonville and Bheki Mlangeni hospitals. 'This will be extended to all facilities in need,' explains Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. ALSO READ: Gauteng Health aims to oust ghost employees 'Due to the frequent breakdown of laundry machinery, the operational inefficiency in some hospitals is negatively affected, despite efforts to maintain and repair the machines. Already, the laundromat has processed laundry badges from Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, and some are queued to be processed overnight. Additionally, the hospital management is exploring options to outsource laundry services to address this issue further temporarily.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Star
2 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Weskoppies Hospital remains fully operational despite power cut, says Gauteng Health
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has confirmed that Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital remains fully operational and that patient care has not been compromised, despite the disconnection of electricity at the facility by the City of Tshwane on Monday. According to the department, the power cut occurred while a payment of R1.2 million for March and April electricity consumption was already being processed. The delay in settling the account has been attributed to the transition into the new financial year. 'The hospital normally makes additional payments to ensure continuous electricity supply, however, this time around it could not do so,' said the Gauteng health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, adding that the outstanding amount is currently in the payment process. In the meantime, the facility has remained functional through the use of five backup generators and a solar power system. 'We want to assure the public again that the backup power supply system, which includes five generators and a solar system at Weskoppies, is fully operational, and patient care will continue uninterrupted while the normal electricity supply is being reconnected,' said Modiba. The department also highlighted that, on the same day as the power disconnection, it had already paid R3.8 million to the City of Tshwane in relation to other healthcare facilities in the municipality.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Provincial health department ready for water supply disruption
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is urging residents to use water sparingly amid ongoing water shortages as Rand Water begins its maintenance procedures. Rand Water began conducting critical maintenance to its key infrastructure on May 29, which could leave some areas with little to no water. The duration of the maintenance work is planned until June 2, but it might take longer for the water supply to be restored to all areas. The utility company gave a 21-day notice of the scheduled work to the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane municipalities. The maintenance is meant to enhance capacity, visibility, efficiency and reliability. Rand Water's maintenance work includes its Mapleton and Palmiet systems, which supply water to parts of Tshwane. In a statement, GDoH said contingency measures have been put in place to mitigate the water shortage across its healthcare facilities. 'In a bid to ensure that public hospitals and clinics in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane are not severely impacted, the GDoH, in collaboration with municipalities, has activated contingency measures. As part of these measures, most health facilities have Jojo tanks, boreholes and reservoirs that can supply water for a duration of two to four days. The municipalities will assist with dispatching water tankers to the affected health facilities in the three districts. The GDoH will augment this by sourcing additional water supply,' the statement read. The department apologised for the inconvenience caused and requested that residents use water sparingly during this time. Some water-saving measures the metro has recommended include: – Do not water or irrigate gardens with hosepipes or sprinkler systems between 06:00 and 18:00. – Do not wash vehicles with hosepipes. – Do not fill swimming pools. – Use a dual-flush toilet cistern. – Use a broom instead of a hosepipe when cleaning driveways or patios. – Collect rainwater to reuse in the garden or wash the car. – Cover the swimming pool to reduce water evaporation. – Take a short shower rather than a bath. – Close a running tap while brushing your teeth or shaving. – Regularly check toilets and taps for leaks. ALSO READ: Tshwane launches new strategy to tackle GBV Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Health
- Eyewitness News
GDoH says plans in place to ensure health facilities are unaffected by Rand Water maintenance
JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) says it has contingency plans in place to ensure public health facilities are not affected by Rand Water's infrastructure maintenance. The water utility on Thursday began its planned maintenance, which is set to finish next Monday. Residents have been warned that several areas in the Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros will experience low pressure to no running water. The department said, amongst other contingency plans, municipalities will help in dispatching water tankers to the affected health facilities in the three districts. "As part of these measures, most of our facilities, if they are a clinic, they'll have JoJo tank, in hospitals, they will have boreholes and reservoirs that can at least supply or store water for a couple of days. We have also put in other measures to augment that supply through outsourcing additional water supply," said Gauteng Health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba.
