A fire has been reported at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) in Parktown, Johannesburg.
The Gauteng provincial joint operations centre, a Gauteng police board initiative, issued a statement on Monday afternoon about reports of a building fire at the hospital.
“Emergency services are en route. Use alternate routes and keep the area clear for emergency crews,” the JOC said.
Fire reported at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
The Citizen contacted the Gauteng department of health, which confirmed the fire. The department asked The Citizen to wait for a statement.
DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom went to the hospital to check on reports about a fire on the ninth floor.
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“We’re just trying to get more details. Thankfully it seems to be contained,” he said.
Bloom, however, questioned fire prevention measures at hospitals.
“How can we have fires breaking out so often at our hospitals? It’s quite a concern,” he said.
Fire contained – DA
Bloom said the DA will ask the department hard questions about Gauteng hospitals, particularly at CMJAH, which has been devastated by fires in the past.
In April 2021, the hospital suffered significant damage from a fire.
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Patients were referred to other hospitals, such as the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and Bertha Gxowa Hospital, which were already overburdened with patients.
A police forensic report in 2022 concluded that arson was the cause of the fire at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
In April, the department confirmed that the remedial work to repair the hospital was progressing well and remained on schedule.
2021 fire damage repairs
The repair project is being conducted in two phases.
Phase one focuses on repairing Blocks 4 and 5 North, while phase two will involve hospital-wide fire compliance upgrades, which require R1.7 billion in funding.
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Phase one, which includes demolition and reconstruction work in critical areas, is expected to be completed by August 2026.
This is a developing story
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