City Press reports that Gauteng MEC for health and wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited the Far East Rand Hospital on Monday after allegations were made of dysfunctional morgue fridges and the mishandling of deceased bodies.

Nkomo-Ralehoko said her visit was to ensure that the 95-year-old hospital was functioning optimally, following several complaints about the facility. She said hospital CEOs needed to stop running hospitals like spaza shops and understand the business etiquette to properly manage funds, supplies and all distribution in public facilities. Funeral undertakers alleged a week ago that the hospital had been handing over decomposed bodies to families because of the non-functional morgue refrigerators. This week, however, everything appeared to be in tip-top shape at the hospital, and none of the issues noted during a visit just a week ago could be spotted as the MEC conducted a "surprise visit" to the facility. Peter Mogapi, manager of patient affairs and the mortuary, denied the undertakers' allegations and said the mortuary fridges were working perfectly and being monitored twice a day. Despite this, several of the fridges were off during the visit, and displayed stickers stating that they were undergoing maintenance, which Mogapi maintained was a temporary occurrence. The MEC said among her interventions to restore order in the hospital was the deployment of Sonwabo Lindani, who came from a three-year service term at Carletonville hospital, and had a track record of excellence.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Promise Marupeng at City Press (subscriber access only)

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