Cape Town - Computers and medical equipment are some of the
most commonly stolen items from hospitals, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi
said on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question by the Democratic Alliance
(DA) in the National Assembly, Motsoaledi said this has cost the
department more than R16m.
The DA had asked the minister what items had been stolen from
hospitals and clinics, what was their value and how much had been spent on replacing the items.
Motsoaledi said he had received information from all
provinces except Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.
Without specifying which hospitals the items were stolen
from and when the thefts had happened, he said that thefts at hospitals and
clinics in KwaZulu-Natal had cost the department more than R13m.
Among the items stolen were computers, linen and medical
equipment.
The Free State recorded the highest number of computer
thefts, with 71 computers reported stolen.
Medical equipment and nine vehicles were also stolen from
hospitals in that province. The estimated value of the theft was R1m.
In North West linen, medical
equipment, four ambulances and 10 computers were stolen. The estimated value of the items was R1.1m.
Mpumalanga recorded thefts to the value of R584 347. Among
the items stolen were 57 computers, 18 laptops and two projectors.
While Gauteng had said that the value of items stolen was
R824 130, it provided little detail on the number of items stolen.
Motsoaledi said the list consisted of computers and two
vehicles.
The Northern Cape reported theft of computers and medical
equipment to the value of R52 000. No further detail was provided.
Most of the incidents in the Western Cape involved patients
and staff. Copper pipes and two computers were reported stolen.
Motsoaledi said that some equipment and computers had been
replaced in the Free State, Gauteng and in the Western Cape.
While some of the other provinces provided no information on
whether stolen items had been replaced, others indicated that they
were in the process of replacing them.