By Charmaine Ndlela
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed a R275 million allocation announced on Tuesday by Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, to tackle the ongoing hospital linen crisis across the province.
The adjustment will fund the urgent procurement of new hospital linen, mattresses, and beds, offering much-needed relief to overburdened facilities and addressing a chronic problem that has plagued Gauteng’s public health system for years.
The crisis dates back to at least 2022 but intensified in 2024 and 2025 due to repeated breakdowns of ageing laundry infrastructure, unpaid supplier debts totalling R743 million to 69 providers, and broader financial mismanagement in the Gauteng Department of Health.
Facilities such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) — Africa’s largest, with more than 3,200 beds — and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital have been among the hardest hit. At times, soiled linen has piled up in corridors,
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