Sir Ketumile Masire Hospital roofing falls off
The roofing at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) fell off in the wee hours of Monday when a water pipe burst, The Midweek Sun has learnt.
According to a worried Covid-19 patient isolated at SKMTH there was a fire alarm alert around 0100hrs, which saw them leave their rooms in an effort to get away from potential danger. However, officers at the hospital allegedly said all was well and told them to get back to their rooms. The patients learnt later that morning that there was a water pipe burst in the upper floors resulting in the ceiling falling off and water spilling to lower floors.Sharing videos and pictures of the incident with this publication, the patient said, “We were scared, they instructed that we go back to our rooms instead of evacuating us to a safer place. “We watched in horror as the water continuously spilled to the ground from the top.” Efforts to reach the Covid-19 Taskforce Team proved futile as their phones rang unanswered. They also did not respond to messages left for them.
SKMTH had also not responded to a questionnaire sent to their office at the time of print.
As a result the estimated cost of the damage could not be ascertained at the time of going to print Tuesday evening. Neither was it possible to trace the contractor to find out the standard of material used in the multimillion pula facility.
Meanwhile, when addressing the nation on Botswana Television on Monday evening, the Director of Health Services Malaki Tshipayagae said SKMTH was as of this past Sunday housing 247 patients. He explained that the recommended number of patients at the hospital was 290 to prevent overwhelming health workers. Malaki further said that the 450-bed hospital is not yet fully operational however; they decided to use it as a designated Covid-19 isolation centre.He said they have since realised that some patients can be safely isolated at their homes and that is what they will be recommending going forward. “To reduce psychological trauma in children, we suggest that they be isolated at home to reduce congestion at SKMTH,” he said. The multi million-pula facility has seen its official opening postponed more than twice and no public explanation issued yet.
When responding to a question in parliament recently on what was preventing the hospital from opening, assistant minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Setlhomo Lelatisitswe said the hospital would open in a phased manner.
He said the intention was to deliver high quality service and given the magnitude, complexity, risks and envisaged human impact of the project once operational, there was need for careful planning.Addressing members of the media recently, the hospital-commissioning manager, Thato Moumakwa said the facility would operate as a referral hospital.He further said the hospital would provide a platform for the University of Botswana’s faculty of medicine students to conduct their practical sessions at the hospital.