Phaahla concedes many health facilities in SA 'not fully compliant' with fire safety requirements

JOHANNESBURG - The health department has conceded that most of South Africa's public hospitals are not compliant with safety standards, lacking basic fire prevention and occupational health measures.

The admission comes after two fires broke out at Tembisa Hospital in five days, destroying an undisclosed number of patient records and high-value medical equipment estimated to cost millions.

The most recent fire tore through the outpatient unit, slightly disrupting services and deepening concerns over infrastructure failures at state facilities.

Tembisa Hospital was dealt yet another blow on Wednesday morning, forcing health officials from both provincial and national levels to intervene.

Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla, who conducted a site inspection, said that many hospitals nationwide were ill-equipped to deal with emergencies like this.

"Many of our facilities, not just in Gauteng, are not fully compliant in terms of the fire safety requirements, requirements in terms of occupational health and safety were not really enforced."

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials have yet to rule out malice or the possibility of corruption returning to a facility once flagged by whistleblower Babita Deokaran.