Local News
Kimberley Mental Health Hospital in the spotlight again─── 05:45 Tue, 30 Jun 2015
Kimberley - Northern Cape Health MEC Mack Jack was questioned about Kimberley's notorious Mental Health Hospital during a sitting of the National Council of Provinces' Social Services Committee last week.
Construction of the hospital, which was riddled with problems, started a decade ago and the new completion date has now been postponed to next year.
Jack told members of the Committee that in 2013 during a meeting with Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) the current Director-General (DG) for the National Department of Health said it would be cheaper to demolish the hospital. Costs at the time were R900 million which has now ballooned to R2 billion, creating serious budgetary constraints for the department.
Jack said the money could instead have been using to build more clinics and extend existing ones. He said parts of the building were demolished and rebuilt and his department is now working together with provincial treasury, the provincial department of Public Works and the Office of the Premier to complete the hospital.
Cathy Dlodlo//OFM News
