CLEAN-UP AT TB HOSPITAL IN LIMPOPO
MANAGERS at a hospital for highly infectious tuberculosis are in trouble for failing to clean up the facility, putting patients’ lives at risk.
Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has promised to act against those responsible for the delay in procuring services at the MDR TB hospital in Modimolle, Limpopo.
“When I saw the story in the paper I felt an urge to act quickly to ensure that things are done the right way at that hospital. I will also act against officials who were responsible for the delay in procuring services at the institution,” said Ramathuba yesterday.
The hospital has been plagued by allegations of poor management and neglect of staff and patients who have been living in fear after snakes were seen on several occasions both outside and in its wards.
After Sowetan exposed the conditions under which patients and staff at the hospital lived and worked earlier this week, Ramathuba moved swiftly to ensure that things changed. Work is now under way to clean up the premises.
Patients admitted to the hospital with highly infectious multidrug resistant and extremely drug resistant tuberculosis were expected to clean and wash linen as private companies’ cleaning contracts had expired.
The hospital, which currently has 12 patients, is surrounded by bushes and posed a serious danger to workers or visitors.
Nurses on night duty told Sowetan they were wary of being bitten by snakes.
Ramathuba said the institution was still operating as a unit and not a hospital because “there was a delay in gazetting it in parliament for it to become a hospital”.
“For the institution to be turned into a hospital, it must first be gazetted, a recommendation of which has since been made. And I am convinced that it meets the requirements to become a hospital,” she said.
For now, it is being run from Bela-Bela, about 27kms away, where its management is based. But Ramathuba said all these challenges would become a thing of the past after the gazetting process.
An employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, confirmed that things were improving.
“Thanks to Sowetan for exposing the rot at our institution. We are proud of the newspaper for what it has done for us.”