Staff and patients at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley, according to insiders, “suffered tremendously” from the heatwave last week due to a lack of a working air conditioning system and intermittent water supply.
One source claims it was unbearably hot in the building complex with temperatures in offices, wards, intensive care unit (ICU) and the emergency waiting area reaching 38 °C or higher.
“This is going to be a hot summer. No-one has any information as to when the air conditioning will be fixed.
“How can dehydrated children with diarrhoea bear these insufferable circumstances, waiting hours for treatment? How can it be dignified when suffering, dying patients are drenched in sweat?
“The province has a dire shortage of specialist staff. Young intern doctors are certainly not motivated to accept permanent positions once they are qualified in state hospitals like this.
“Questions about the possible solutions, or when the air conditioning will be fixed, remain unanswered. In winter the staff and the patients endure the extreme cold, with some patients’ families bringing extra blankets. How can the officials from the department, who sit in comfortable offices elsewhere, accept these unacceptable conditions as normal? Is it because the patients are so poor and desperate for help, that they never complain about the inhumane circumstances?” the source asked.
Other problems are also present in the hospital. The internet connection has been off for a few days, hampering administration, and water-supply is intermittent.
“The lack of water at basins in wards is troubling, as visitors and staff cannot wash their hands to prevent the spread of infections.”
The planned patient transport service between Upington and Kimberley was also halted due to lack of vehicles. Healthcare plans are in disarray, while there is a constant medicine shortage in certain sections.
“Patients in need of dialysis, cancer treatment and operations are left in the lurch. There are no alternative health care solutions for them, but to wait for one day when the service might be reinstated. How can citizens be treated like this? It boils down to utter disrespect,” the source claims.
Lulu Mxekezo, spokesperson for the Northern Cape Department of Health, says the air conditioning systems at the RMSH has not been in a working condition for some time.
“It is due to contract issues with the service provider, which the department is working on resolving soon in collaboration with all stakeholders. Some of our theatre air conditioner systems with chillers are working in the Kimberley Hospital Opthalmology Orthopaedic Centre. During the water-supply interruption of the Sol Plaatje Municipality, the little water available was used for patient care and thus the chillers could not be operational.”
She says the allocation of interns is a national department competency.
“Therefore the provinces receive their allocations through a national system. The province is finalising the logistics regarding this.”
No critically ill patients from Upington were declined health services, she said.
“The non-emergency patients were rescheduled due to the emergency water-shutdown in Kimberley. Dialysis for Upington patients is done in Upington. The transportation of patients (emergency and non-emergency) is facilitated to ensure that patients honour their follow-up appointments and emergency patients receive treatment promptly.
“The short supply of medication is being resolved through the medical logistic centre to ensure medication is available at health facilities.
“Tertiary medicine is not a major concern, as we can buy medicine from different suppliers,” Mxekezo says.
