Rundown hospital stuns deputy public protector

A dilapidated building with cracked walls, peeling paint, torn linen, an inadequate water supply and toilets that are shared by men and women.

These were some of the concerning observations made by deputy public protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka during a visit to Nessie Knight hospital in Qumbu last week.

Gcaleka and her team also visited three other Eastern Cape hospitals — Livingstone and Uitenhage Provincial in Nelson Mandela Bay and Mthatha General —  to learn about the challenges faced by staff and patients.

The tour of the four hospitals was part of efforts by the public protector’s office to deal with a large number of Covid-19- related complaints received  over the past four months.

A complete report of Gcaleka’s findings will be presented to the national and provincial health departments and other role players in 60 days.

According to a statement from the public protector’s office, at Nessie Knight Hospital, Gcaleka was shown a dilapidated structure which serves as the health-care facility for the community of Qumbu and surrounding areas.

Cracked walls, peeling paint, broken washing machines, torn linen and male and female patients having to share the same toilets were some of the team’s observations.

The hospital, according to its management, had no oxygen points and relied on an old gas cylinder for oxygen, which staff have to push around from ward to ward to provide oxygen support to patients.

Laundry services were non-existent at the hospital and the washing machines were irreparable, staff said.

The situation, according to the management, was worsened by lack of well-maintained vehicles to transport dirty laundry to a nearby hospital for washing.

A secure supply of water amid the Covid-19 pandemic — where personal hygiene is of paramount importance — is essential, especially in health care environments.

However, this was not the case at Nessie Knight  — the hospital depended on unreliable boreholes and tanks for water.

To paint a picture of the magnitude of the challenges at the hospital, its management also showed Gcaleka old caravans that were being used as makeshift accommodation for staff while the building of a new nursing home was nearing completion a few metres away.

Nessie Knight’s kitchen, Gcaleka observed, was not in the kind of condition one would expect in a hospital setting.

At all four hospitals visited by Gcaleka and her team, other issues raised included accusations by unions and staff that management and provincial authorities were not providing enough support to employees on the front line in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

They bemoaned, among other things, inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff working in high-risk areas, insufficient hospital linen, poor laundry services, staff shortages and costly delays in the filling of senior management positions.

Another concern was lack of beds for the trauma and medical emergency units.

According to staff, this led to the overflow of patients in the corridors of hospitals.

In some instances, managers erected makeshift marquees to deal with the overflow but the strong coastal gale-force winds often made it difficult for staff to execute their responsibilities.

The issue of staff members who worked on the front line contracting of Covid-19 was also brought to the attention of Gcaleka, with unions accusing the hospitals’ management of not doing enough to protect employees.

Gcaleka assured management, staff, unions and the patients she interacted with at all four facilities that her office would work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that all concerns were resolved quickly.

“We have made our observations on the situation in the province and it is worrying.

“We are going to bring all these challenges to the attention of government and work together with all stakeholders to see to it that the issues raised are attended to speedily,” she said.

Gcaleka also thanked the hospitals’ employees for taken care of their patients despite the difficult conditions under which they worked.

The affected parties will be granted an opportunity to comment on the report before it is finalised.