Health and Wellness
With reference to her reply to question 28 of 3 October 2025:
- (a) What evidence exists that lending public equipment to private hospitals advances access to healthcare for public-sector patients rather than subsidising private operations and (b)(i) what risk assessments were conducted before approving the lending of equipment and (ii) can copies of the risk assessments be made available;
- whether provincial policy regulates the lending of public equipment; if not, why this practice was permitted without one; if so, what are the relevant details;
- how does her Department ensure compliance with the PFMA regarding the safe-guarding and authorisation of state assets used by private facilities?
I am informed by the Department of Health and Wellness that:
While the lending of medical equipment is not a routine practice, there are specific circumstances where equipment may be made available to another facility, including other public or private hospitals, on the grounds of compassionate use.
This only takes place based on the following criteria:
- Where there is a surplus of the specific item;
- Where another facility (public or private) faces a critical shortage; and
- Where the action will make the difference in safeguarding a patient’s life.
In such cases, the decision is informed by ethics, compassion, and clinical urgency, and is managed within proper governance processes including within standard asset management processes.
(1) (a) Please refer to the reply to question 15 of 20 February.
(b)(i) Please refer to the reply to question 15 of 20 February.
(ii) As these matters are determined on a case-by-case basis and are rare occurrences, no standardise risk assessment for each case is available at this time.
(2) Please refer to the reply to question 15 of 20 February.
(3) The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness ensures compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) through its established governance and control framework.
All state assets remain subject to the Department’s asset management controls, including accountability for their safeguarding, appropriate use, and return. Compliance is supported through internal controls where relevant, such as asset registers, oversight by the Accounting Officer, and monitoring and audit processes to ensure that all actions remain aligned with the PFMA and do not expose state resources to unauthorised use or loss.
