Johannesburg – There is no food shortage at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, the Gauteng health department said on Friday.

“Patients are getting their three meals a day,” spokesperson Simon Zwane said.

“Charlotte Maxeke does not keep food on site. They get ready-prepared food from the state-owned food supplier… They have sufficient food.”

Zwane was responding to a joint press statement issued by Section27 and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) that companies contracted to supply food and bread to the hospital had stopped all deliveries due to the non-payment of outstanding accounts.

Zwane said this was not true.

“There is no food supply company that is owed. I was in discussion with [hospital] management this morning [Friday] and last night. Patients are receiving hot meals.”

Section27 and the TAC said it received “disturbing” reports on Thursday about the food shortages.

“… Over the last few days, the hospital department responsible for food services has rationed food, providing patients with [a] small portion of plain soup with no bread, as a substitute for certain meals,” the two groups said in the statement.

“… No mention was made of breakfast or tea… we are… informed that some patients received no breakfast this morning [Friday] and that food stocks are likely to be exhausted soon.”

The two organisations said they were “extremely concerned” about human rights violations at the hospital.

“The situation is unacceptable and must be addressed… as a matter of extreme urgency. We will continue to monitor the situation.”

SAPA