The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Social Services, Desery Fienies, has raised concern over delays in implementing recommendations made by the Public Protector in 2021 to address poor conditions at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
The concerns come five years after the investigation, which identified serious shortcomings in staffing, infrastructure, equipment and essential medical supplies at the hospital.
The Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka reportedly revisited the hospital on Thursday, 22 October 2026, and reportedly raised concerns about delays in implementing the recommendations.
Fienies has called on Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to account for the delays and provide an update on interventions being undertaken to address the hospital’s longstanding challenges.
“The Public Protector visited Livingstone Hospital on 22 October and indicated in an interview and raised concerns over delays in implementing the recommendations from a 2021 report on poor conditions at the hospital,” said Fienies in a media statement on Thursday, 29 October.
According to the statement, the matter arose during the committee’s engagement with the Department of Health on its 2025/26 annual report.
In its 2021 report, titled Report on an Investigation into Allegations of Worsening Conditions within the Health Facilities/Hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province, the Public Protector found that the Eastern Cape Department of Health had failed to meet its constitutional and legal obligations in administering healthcare at Livingstone Hospital.
The investigation identified acute staff shortages, inadequate physical infrastructure, a shortage of medical equipment and machinery, and insufficient supplies of essential resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE).
The report stated that hospital management and trade union representatives had raised similar concerns during engagements with the investigation team. It also noted that the department did not dispute the findings.
The Public Protector concluded that the department had failed to ensure appropriate conditions for the delivery of adequate and effective healthcare services to communities around Gqeberha. The conduct was found to constitute improper conduct and maladministration.
Among the remedial actions recommended in 2021, the Public Protector directed the Head of the Eastern Cape Department of Health to finalise the recruitment process for vacant hospital leadership positions within 60 days of the report.
The department was also instructed to prioritise filling other critical posts, place interns appointed from April 2021 at the hospital to provide assistance, and finalise the hospital’s organisational structure within 90 days. The relevant Treasury was to be engaged to secure additional funding to fill vacant positions.
The recommendations further required the development of an integrated mental health strategy for public hospitals in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area within 90 days.
To address infrastructure and equipment concerns, the department was directed to appoint external service providers to maintain the hospital’s laundry and other vital equipment within 90 days. It was also required to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the hospital buildings during the 2021/22 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, in consultation with the relevant provincial departments and Treasury, to inform refurbishment planning and budget allocations, subject to funding availability.
The Public Protector also called for routine and scheduled maintenance by the hospital’s Maintenance Unit, including regular attention to blocked drains to prevent disruptions to hospital operations.
The report further required the department to ensure that sufficient PPE was supplied to the hospital within 30 days.
Responding to the committee’s concerns, Motsoaledi acknowledged the persistent challenges at Livingstone Hospital and said the national department was equally disappointed by the situation.
He explained that key functions affecting service delivery, including human resource management, infrastructure maintenance, procurement and financial management, fall under provincial responsibility.
The Minister said the national department had previously engaged with the Eastern Cape provincial government, including the Premier, the MECs for Health and Finance, heads of departments and other senior officials, about challenges affecting the province’s health system. Issues raised by the Public Protector had featured prominently during those engagements.
“We also saw with disappointment when the Public Protector went there. We are planning that, when time allows, we will rush there and have a second set of meetings with the province and the Premier and the two MECs for Finance and Health to see if we can once more start from the beginning and re-discuss these issues,” said Motsoaledi.
He added that the national department had embarked on a programme of engagements with provinces to address recurring governance and service delivery challenges.
The committee welcomed the Minister’s commitment to revisit the situation in the Eastern Cape but stressed that the Public Protector’s recommendations must be implemented without further delay.
It emphasised that patients and communities depend on public hospitals for essential healthcare services and that shortcomings in infrastructure, patient care and management require urgent intervention.
The committee said it would continue monitoring developments at Livingstone Hospital and expects updates from the department on progress in implementing corrective measures.
