Johannesburg - Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) management says it is working hard to resolve the parking problems at the hospital.
This has in the past resulted in the DA slamming the Department of Health and the hospital management for their lackadaisical approach to solving the parking issue and the general lack of progress in the restoration of the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital’s parking.
The issue of parking has become an issue after parts of the hospital were gutted by fire in 2021, which affected certain parts of the hospital, including some of the parking spaces.
According to the DA's shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, staff and patients continue to face parking issues at the hospital due to a lack of parking bays.
However, the hospital’s spokesperson, Tabudi Madisha, told The Star that the parking problem is being resolved, saying the construction of the P3 parking bay is now complete, with the enrolment of traffic already under way.
"The construction of the temporary access ramp to level P3 is now 100% complete. The only outstanding thing is the enrolment of the traffic management system to ensure a greater flow of vehicles into the parking as well as manage different parking zones and vehicle access. Nevertheless, the enrolment process is under way, and the P3 parking bays will be available for usage soon," he said.
Last year, Independent Media reported that the hospital was working on a plan that included approaching neighbours such as Emoyeni Conference Centre, Wits University, and KPMG to ensure extra parking bays for patients and other visitors.
This week, following a site inspection of the facility, Bloom said staff and visitors were still experiencing problems with the parking months after initial commitments indicated that an extra 300 rebuilt parking bays were supposed to have been made available as of November 2022.
"Staff and patients continue to struggle with parking at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, despite promises that extra bays would be made available by November last year," Bloom said.
Bloom said staff has been forced to come in much earlier than anticipated due to the issue of parking.
"Doctors and nurses have to come in super early to get the few open bays in the hospital basement, so most of them park far away at great inconvenience. It’s even worse for patients who are sickly and have to walk long distances to get into the hospital. I gave a lift to 70-year-old Salim Abraham (not his real name) who had to park more than a kilometre away and uses a walking stick. He drove from Eldorado Park to drop his wife off at the diabetes clinic," he said.
Bloom said the issue of lack of parking at the hospital has also resulted in traffic and congestion around the hospital.
The Star