The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) says the deterioration of services at the Kopanong Hospital in Vereeniging on the Vaal has reached crisis proportion. All X-Ray staff members at the hospital have been put on two months’ special leave as a result of a possible radiation leak.
Denosa says the X-Ray Department at the hospital has not been operating since June.
Denosa’s Sedibeng Chairperson Sabatha Thekiso says the casualty section of the hospital is constantly overcrowded and there’s a shortage of beds.
“We have only six beds for consultation of patients in casualty, but at times you find there are stretchers put to accommodate more. There are also psychotic patients among those that are put in then the situation becomes chaotic. There are incidents like patients falling onto other patients and patients fighting others because they are agitated,” says Thekiso.
