Hospital without water
THE WARRENTON Hospital has had no water for the past two weeks, where the toilets cannot be flushed and patients have been unable to clean themselves properly.
Patients who were admitted over the weekend indicated that when it was “absolutely necessary” to flush the toilet, a wheelbarrow was used to wheel in a refuse bin filled with water to the bathroom, while a jar or bucket was used to fill the cistern.
“Patients suffering from diarrhoea are proving to be a problem. There is no water in the building although water is flowing from the taps outside,” one patient said.
In a separate incident, a pupil attending Noupoort Combined School had to run to the hospital in Noupoort on March 14 after his arm was injured, as there were no ambulances available.
The pupil had to be transferred to the De Aar Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. The doctor apparently arrived at the hospital about three hours after the boy’s father drove to call the doctor as he was not responding to phone calls.
The patient was later transferred to the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley after apparently waiting for seven hours for the ambulance to arrive.
Spokesperson for the MEC for Health Lebogang Majaha explained that Warrenton was facing water challenges. “A service provider was on site to replace the pressure pump at Warrenton Hospital and the water supply was reconnected today (Tuesday). There is water for the ablution facilities and surgeries,” said Majaha.