R29m North West Hospital revamp stalled

The reconstruction of a major North West hospital, which was meant to ensure smooth running of the facility after a major storm, has come to a grinding halt.

This is because of a three-year contractual dispute between the state and the builder, which saw the contractor abandoning the site. Since 2008 repairs and reconstruction of Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp have been abandoned following a squabble between the Public Works Department and Maphutha Building Construction.

Maphutha was awarded a R29 million tender in 2008 after a severe storm damaged the hospital's roof. But today, three years later, the work remains undone, while the department and Maphutha wrangle about who is to blame.

The initial work was to replace roofs that were damaged by storm but the health department decided all the wards should be rebuilt as they were substandard.

Health Department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said the work began in November 2008 and the anticipated completion date was February 2010. Patrick Maphutha, dire-ctor of Maphutha Construction, blamed both the Public Works and Health Departments for the mess.

"We have had many challenges on this project - a lack of information, changes to the scope of work, quantities in the bill not adequate and variation orders not being issued," he said.

"This has all been overshadowed by having to wait, in some cases for more than 200 days, for payment for work done."

Maphutha said his firm had done a lot of work for which they had still to be paid.

"By November 24 last year we had been on site for 24 months, though the original contract was for 12 months and at that stage there were 14 certificates issued, of which only 12 were paid.

"Our payment terms, according to the contract, were 21 days," he said.

Maphutha said payment certificates 13 and 14, despite undertakings that these would be paid in November last year, were eventually paid two weeks after they cancelled the contract in February.

"The same thing happened with the variation order for increasing the contract amount. This was issued only after we gave notice," he said.

Maphutha said the reasons why the contract increased from R29million to R50million was that the tender did not adequately cover the scope of work.

He said his company had yet to receive any correspondence from the Health Department or its agents accepting or even acknowledging their letter of cancellation.

"This is also part of the reason why we cancelled the contract. None, save two, of our letters were ever acknowledged," Maphutha said.

"Every undertaking by both the Health and Public Works departments was never followed through."

According to Lekgethwane the project was stopped because of the way Maphutha interpreted the contract and his poor project management. But Lekgethwane agreed late payment and changes in the scope of the work were obstacles. He said his department had spent R29million on the project.

Patients who spoke to Sowetan when we visited the hospital this week said the delay in finalising construction affected them.

The remaining wards were congested and it was difficult to move between wards as some were closed.

"Emergency and trauma unit responses are alsocompromised," said patient Ocicca Modise.

Delays also affected plans to open a new neurology unit and to move renal and ophthalmology, and a 10-bed intensive care unit to the hospital to relieve congestion in the Klerksdorp Hospital.