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.