The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga has written to Health MEC Sasekani Manzini to immediately sort out the issue of water shortage in Themba Hospital as this could spread infection and pose a serious risk to patients’ lives.
Themba, in KaBokweni Township, is one of the biggest Regional Hospitals in the Province of Mpumalanga, and it has had no water for three days. Patients are unable to bath or get cleaned by nurses during this challenging times of Covid-19.
Patients and family members spoke to the Democratic Alliance (DA) anonymously on Monday – said the hospital has had no running water for three days now and no one knows why. They said toilets were overflowing with human excrement and had a terrible stink. They said hospital staff members have locked doors of the toilets or placed plastic bags over urinals to prevent patients from using them.
They also told the DA that family and friends of patients are being forced to bring buckets and bottles of water to the hospital to assist with the problem.
They raised concerns that the germs and bacteria caused by not being able to bathe or flush the toilets made patients susceptible to secondary illnesses and infections, especially when the country is dealing with the Covid-19 Pandemic.
According to the patients, management of the hospital have told them that the water shortage was reported to the Mbombela local municipality and the Provincial Department of Health. “However, nothing has been done so far.”
The DA calls on both Mbombela local municipality and the Provincial Department of Health to act immediately to avoid a situation where-by patients are cross-infecting each other with virus diseases that might originate from the unhygienic conditions.
The situation in the hospital not only poses serious risk to patients’ lives, but to health care works themselves and family members who visit the hospital.
The DA will watch this situation very closely, and if it is not addressed withing the next few days, we will be forced to report the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).