This emerged in a written parliamentary response to a question posed by the MK Party MP Moshone Motubatse to the minister of health. Aaron Motsoaledi said the old Ladybrand District Hospital was repurposed into a TB hospital by the provincial infrastructure unit following a request from the provincial TB Directorate.

The refurbishment project was completed at a cost of R29.2m. However, despite construction being completed about 12 years ago, the facility was never occupied. Once the project had been completed, the Free State TB directorate was informed to take over the building, said Motsoaledi.

Members of the Free State legislature visited the hospital in 2024. Photo supplied

Instead, the directorate introduced additional requirements after completion of the project. The TB directorate was responsible for appointing security personnel and clinical staff. Medical equipment had also been procured by the provincial infrastructure unit, but the hospital remained unattended until it was vandalised.

The extent of the damage had not been quantified as an assessment of the costs had not been conducted, said Motsoaledi. The province had reportedly established a commissioning task team, although no date had been set for the hospital’s commissioning.

The issue was also highlighted during a 2024 briefing to the portfolio committee on public accounts and finance in the Free State Legislature, where the auditor-general reported that the department of health had failed to implement recommendations regarding the refurbishment project despite numerous engagements.

The Mantsopa Hospital during an oversight visit by members of the Free State legislature in 2024. Photo supplied 

DA MPL Dulandi Leech said the project had failed to deliver value for money despite substantial public expenditure. “This is a requirement for such a facility, one it may not operate without.

“Despite the project being completed in 2019, no value has been derived from the expenditure since the hospital is completely abandoned and patients from the area are still forced to use clinics and hospitals in other districts,” said Leech.

According to the AG’s findings, more than R29m was budgeted for the refurbishment, while actual expenditure amounted to R27.4m. However, key components, including a pharmacy and mortuary required for the operation of the facility, were never constructed.

During an oversight visit two years ago, it was evident the investment had suffered extensive vandalism, said Leech. “The failure represents a great financial loss and a missed opportunity to improve the health and well-being of the community.”

The failure to operationalise the hospital had placed additional pressure on already-strained healthcare facilities in the region. It also placed “an unnecessary burden on already under-resourced clinics and hospitals … which could have benefited from the operation of the hospital”.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg

• Have a news tip to share? Phone or whatsapp the OFM News Hotline: 066 487 1427.