2 hours agoScandal-Plagued Hospital Nears Completion After Years of Delay

The Edison Setlhomo Masisi Memorial Hospital, mired in controversy, is finally approaching completion after a construction process that extended four years beyond its original schedule. Peter Sethibe, Chairperson of the Moshupa Sub-District Council, told this publication in an interview this week that the facility is now in its final stages before handover. Sethibe said that during a recent briefing, he was assured the construction was 99 percent complete.

He added that equipment continues to arrive and some offices have already been handed over. “Some of the wards and offices have been handed over and the hospital equipment has been coming in. As far as staffing is concerned, I have been made aware that it is an ongoing process since their accommodation was handed over two years ago,” he said.

The P457 million, 70-bed hospital has been a lightning rod for poor workmanship and political controversy since construction began in 2019 The hospital was originally scheduled for completion and government handover by May 2022, but shoddy construction was uncovered, causing significant delays. Further faults included the use of oversized support posts that far exceeded the intended load capacity. In May of last year, Professor Oatlhokwa Nkomazana, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, told the Public Accounts Committee she could not understand the rationale behind building the Edison Setlhomo Memorial Hospital, given that residents of Moshupa had better healthcare access than those in the more remote areas of Gumare and Kasane.

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Meanwhile, the prolonged delay has brought a steady stream of government attention, with two ministers visiting the site within a span of less than four months. The state-of-the-art facility includes 69 staff housing units, consisting of 16 three-bedroom houses and 48 two-bedroom flats, some of which are already occupied. Designed to provide a comprehensive range of health services, the hospital features general outpatient care, accident and emergency services, as well as laboratory and physiotherapy departments.

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