Hospital boards play a critical role in ensuring that public hospitals remain
accountable, transparent, and responsive to community needs. Today (11 July),
the Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko
welcomed and inducted newly appointed hospital board members who will serve
at 34 hospitals (gazetted to have boards), across the province.
The induction ceremony, held at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic
Hospital, marked an important milestone in strengthening community
representation in hospital governance. The nomination process received
overwhelming interest, with over 1500 applications submitted from professionals
and community leaders eager to contribute their skills and time.
Speaking at the welcoming ceremony, MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko, praised the
public’s commitment. “The overwhelming number of applications shows that our
people are ready to partner with us to improve healthcare. It is a powerful sign of
active citizenship and gives us hope for the future, especially as we march
towards implementing the National Health Insurance,” she said.
She also reminded the new members of their important mandate: “Premier Lesufi
has been clear that poor service at hospitals and clinics is one of Gauteng’s 13
problems. From today, this problem becomes your problem too. You are our
partners in restoring dignity, trust, and excellence in our facilities.”
Newly appointed board member Yamkela Rini, who serves on the board of Tara
H. Moross Hospital, expressed his excitement to serve. “Our role is not for
financial benefit, but to ensure good governance, proper service delivery, and
high standards of care within our hospitals. One of the key issues raised was the
growing number of litigations. We want to help the Department of Health and
hospital management address this through improved quality, better services, and
ensuring proper infrastructure and resources are in place across our healthcare
facilities.”
Lawyer, Phillemon Lebelo who is appointed to serve at the Jubilee Hospital said
that there is no greater honour than to be afforded an opportunity to serve your
own community. “I believe that our collective experiences as people from diverse
backgrounds will greatly benefit the hospitals we are to serve in.”
The new boards will play a key role in supporting hospital management,
improving governance, and ensuring that services remain patient-centred and
community-focused, thus affirming the Gauteng Department of Health’s
commitment to transforming healthcare and rebuilding public trust.
Due to the positive response, the process of finalizing the recommended
candidates took longer than anticipated, requiring the extension of the term of
the outgoing board members by three months (April to June 2025) to ensure
continuity.
The new term commenced from 1 July 2025 and runs until March 2028. Overall
there are 222 board members serving in various facilities.
With strong community representation and renewed energy, the new hospital
boards are expected to help drive improvements in service delivery and
strengthen the province public healthcare system for all.