- The Gauteng department of health has lifted the suspension on Dr Tim de Maayer who penned an open letter highlighting the poor state of Rahima Moosa Hospital in Johannesburg.
- The suspension was lifted after Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi intervened.
- The department said the management team of Rahima Moosa had agreed to work together to continue to address the issues raised by De Maayer.
A Gauteng doctor who blew the whistle on the state of the province's healthcare facilities is back at work, the health department said on Friday.
Paediatrician Dr Tim de Maayer was placed on precautionary suspension after he wrote an open letter to the Gauteng health department, stating that the "horrendous conditions in our public hospitals" were contributing to children's deaths.
The letter was published on News24 on 24 May.
Some of the concerns raised by De Maayer in his letter included that generators were inadequately sized to supply the hospital during load shedding, water cuts led to the spread of infections, and that the state of toilets at the hospital was shocking.
At the time, the department said the "Gauteng health system remains intact and continues to service millions of patients".
De Maayer's suspension was lifted after Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi met with him, the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital CEO Dr Nozuko Mkabayi and the head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the facility, Professor Ashraf Coovadia.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the department said the management team of Rahima Moosa had agreed to work together to continue to address the issues raised by de Maayer.
"The department remains committed to tackling challenges within the Gauteng health system while continuing to render services to millions of patients annually," Mokgethi said.
MMC for health and social development Ashley Sauls said he had seen the "poor conditions" of the hospital first-hand when he visited the facility.
"We cannot live in a world where pointing out flaws exposing inhumane conditions by good people are met with unjust punishment. This hospital is dealing with humanitarian issues, and these issues need to be known and need to be addressed publicly and honestly for the thousands of people making use of this facility.
"This is another example of how facilities are being run without truth and transparency, and I cannot stand for that.
"I met the CEO of the hospital, and we agreed that they will deal with the issues, and I committed that myself and my office would assist where we can," Sauls said.