Pandemonium broke out at the Christiana Hospital in the Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality in North West. This was as workers from two local clinics and a hospital embarked on demonstrations inside the hospital after Health MEC Magome Masike assessed conditions in the hospital.
This follows an expose by the SABC through hospital staff, regarding overcrowding and shortage of staff, linen, equipment and medication.
Following the revelations of appalling conditions at the hospital, delegates from the health departments led by MEC Magome Masike rushed to the hospital to assess the situation there.
Last week, SABC News crew found leaking sewage, patients with no medication, stretched support stuff, shortage of beds and blankets for patients.
MEC Magome Masike’s surprise visit was overtaken by demonstrations as workers wanted immediate solutions to the current problems in the three local health institutions.
As workers moved ward by ward demonstrating, some of the stranded admitted patients expressed concern. They too are frustrated by administrative challenges, especially the stench inside the hospital.
“There’s nothing here – medication, the floor is dirty, the rooms are smelling. This is worse hospitals. Even nurses; there’s a great shortage of nurses here. You come here, you won’t get help. Look at the situation now, I can’t even talk.”
This week, the conditions improved slightly though, since the visit by the SABC News crew last week. This is as more beds were fitted with clean linen and the leaking sewage has been cleared.
However Health MEC is adamant that the intervention did not come only because the conditions were exposed by the media. He acknowledged conditions in the hospital are horrible.
“They must not sit and think that we are not doing anything. Yes, the backlog infrastructure in Christian is horrible. Must they must that there’s a process. We accept that the backlog in Christian is shocking. But it does not mean that we are not doing anything. We will consider it.”
While provincial health authorities have appealed to local health workers to be more patient as plans are afoot by the Inter-Ministerial Task team, and the national government to resolve the current problems, hospital staff have committed to exposing these conditions until something is done.
