Staff shortage crippling services

But Bhisho says plans are afoot to fill vacancies at Grey Hospital

The department of health in the Eastern Cape has confirmed claims its Grey Hospital has a shortage of doctors, with patients saying they are being turned away or forced to wait for at least a day to be attended to.

The provincial hospital in King William’s Town has 67 beds and treats around 1,000 patients a month.

When the Daily Dispatch visited the hospital at 11am on Thursday, patients in the emergency section were waiting to be seen by a doctor and some said they had been waiting since 7am.

Patients were sitting in the corridors on chairs and benches with no nurse in sight. Those waiting claimed they had been told the nurses were on lunch although it was just after 11am.

Patients complained that they wake up at the crack of dawn to travel to the hospital to be seen by a doctor only to return home without being attended to.

Nolitha Tywa, 67, from Pilton, ,sustained a leg injury on Tuesday and was limping. She claimed she had spent the whole day on Wednesday without being seen by a doctor.

“I woke up very early on Wednesday and by 7am I was already here. I spent the whole day in pain waiting for the doctor to attend to me but at 5pm I was told to come the next day. I had to spend another night in pain, I only got to see the doctor at around 12 noon today [on Thursday].”

Zwelandile Mzewu from Breidbach also complained of poor service.

“We have been waiting for more than five hours to see the doctor. They tell us they are still dealing with emergency cases and we will be attended to after. I was here yesterday and they told us the same thing,” Mzewu said.

For the duration of its visit the Dispatch team saw very few nurses and doctors around. Scores of patients waited to be attended to.

Provincial health spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha confirmed that the hospital was in a crisis with a shortage of staff.

“The hospital currently has a gross shortage of doctors that the institution is currently dealing with.

“The department is in the process of replacing four medical officers and clinical manager posts that were vacated,” he said.

I spent the whole day in pain waiting for the doctor to attend to me but at 5pm I was told to come the next day