Democratic Alliance Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, says ‘more instability’ has hit the Gauteng Health Department with the imminent departure of its head, Dr Nomonde Nolutshungu.
Dr Nolutshungu, who was appointed on 25 April 2022, is to leave at the end of this month.
Bloom said in a statement that the Gauteng Health Department had had a succession of acting and permanent heads in the past few years.
Nolutshungu took over after there were two acting heads since Professor Mkululi Lukhele resigned as HOD in October 2020 when he was implicated in the PPE scandal. His predecessor, Dr Barney Selebano, left as a result of the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
Nolutshungu was leaving for ‘health reasons’. Bloom says he suspects she could not take the strain of running this deeply corrupt and inefficient department.
Nolutshungu received death threats in August last year after she acted against corruption at the Tembisa Hospital that was uncovered by murdered whistle blower Babita Deokaran.
Bloom says that only new political leadership will save the department as there are too many vested interests linked to criminal syndicates that receive political protection.
[Image: Darko Stojanovic from Pixabay]