By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has not received any forensic report related to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) fire.
This comes after the publication of an article by the Daily Maverick, which claims to have a police forensic report.
According to Daily Maverick, a police forensic report has ruled out an accident as the cause of the fire and calls for further investigation. Several discrepancies have reportedly been noted in the forensic report, including in the evidence of a staff member who witnessed the outbreak of the fire. Statements from hospital staff were also only taken six months after the fire.
The fire broke out in a special dispensary storage room.
Medical goods worth R40 million in the storeroom, as well as a large amount of personal protective equipment were destroyed.
Nearly a year after the fire, the national health department has taken over the institution’s rehabilitation project.
Parts of the hospital are still not operational, and the repairs are only expected to be completed next year. Among the units still to be repaired are the obstetrics and gynaecology unit, paediatric area, surgery area, and internal medicine department.
The department added that it could not comment as it was not in possession of the report or seen it.
“GDoH has unfortunately not seen the so-called report and as such, the department is not in a position to comment on it.”
The provincial department has since advised the media to confirm with SAPS if they have indeed issued such a report and to who the report was issued.