Healthcare crisis hits Durban hospitals

PRINCE Mshiyeni Hospital in Durban has allegedly been forced to put general surgery on hold since Monday morning following the breakdown of medical equipment for which the hospital apparently has no back-up.

DA health spokesperson Imran Keeka said the hospital had cancelled some operations because its only diathermy machine, used to stop bleeding during surgery, had broken.

“Patients scheduled for surgery are being turned away. There is currently no known plan to remedy the situation which is compounded by an already massive backlog in surgery,” Keeka said.

He said the hospital had a backlog of around 300 general surgical elective operations, including 132 patients who had been lying in wards for more than a month, waiting to have broken bones operated on. There were also a further 770 patients waiting for other medical procedures.

Infestation

IFP KZN provincial health spokesperson Ncamisile Nkwanyana said at King Edward VIII Hospital a mosquito infestation in the theatre rooms had delayed at least one operation recently.

“This is truly shocking and unacceptable. Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance, they can transmit serious diseases,” she said.

Human rights NGO Section27 sharply criticised the province’s healthcare services as being in a “state of emergency”, and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) raised the alarm over poor TB infection control in clinics, while the SA Medical Association (Sama) sent a list of demands pleading for the department not to let the health system die. Doctors who recently went on strike have threatened to take the department to the Constitutional Court for failing to deliver health services.

A report compiled by the TAC and Section27 detailed a string of problems in the department.

“Hospitals are experiencing shortages of lifesaving medicines and equipment, and suffering with departments that are entirely depleted of staff.

“Inkosi Albert Luthuli and Addington hospitals are no longer able to effectively treat cancer patients due to equipment breakdowns and a shortage of specialists. Air-conditioning machines are not being repaired, resulting in surgeries being cancelled,” it said.

“The Health Professions Council of South Africa has warned several departments that they will lose their accreditation to train specialists in the current situation.”

Sama KZN coastal branch chairman Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said doctors were demanding the bare minimum that would allow them to do their jobs.

“We are asking the department to fix their broken equipment and employ staff. This will save them billions of rand in litigation costs,” he said.

Department of Health head Dr Sifiso Mtshali denied some of the claims, saying the department faced many challenges but it seemed people were “bafaka ipolitiki” (playing politics) to embarrass the department. He denied that surgeries at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital had been halted.

“At King Edward Hospital, there is an issue of mosquitoes because there is water under the hospital, but fortunately there is no malaria in that area. It does not affect the hospital’s operations,” he said.

Mtshali said the department was dealing with issues raised by the NGOs and prioritising those that could be solved quickly.

“For instance, the issue of cancer machines, the argument is there should be more machines. But the problem is there are no oncologists – there are only two oncologists in the public sector (in Durban). The machines are enough for them. We can’t spend money on machines that aren’t going to be used.”

Mtshali said the department was trying to find a way to work with the 50 private-sector oncologists in the city.

“Our priority is not to fix the machines but to get oncologists,” he said.