Health officials on diarrhoea alert as KZN floods cause water shortages

KwaZulu-Natal health officials fear diarrhoea outbreaks as the province faces water and sanitation challenges caused by floods.

This was revealed on Saturday by health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, who said several healthcare facilities have been affected by flooding that left 400 people dead and thousands homeless. 

Simelane said 58 healthcare facilities in eThekwini, iLembe, Ugu, Umgungundlovu and King Cetshwayo districts were severely affected by the floods. She said most buildings suffered damage to their roofs, floors and fencing.

“We can also confirm that our hospitals and clinics have indeed been seeing a higher number of trauma and emergency patients than usual — particularly in the densely populated districts,” said Simelane.

“We are cognisant of the criticality of water availability within a healthcare setting. That is why all emergency theatre cases are swiftly being discussed with neighbouring hospitals and diverted accordingly.

“Due to the shortage of water and related sanitation challenges, our environmental health practitioners are monitoring clinical statistics for the early identification of any waterborne or diarrheal diseases.

“This includes the inspection of potable water that is being transported by tankers, and in halls where displaced members of the community are being housed.”

Simelane thanked the healthcare workers for their sacrifice and diligence.

“Many have put in extra hours to attend to the injured and minimise human suffering. We are aware that many of them also went well and truly beyond the call of duty, and actively got involved in mop-up operations,” she said. “All of these are acts of heroism.

“Damage to critical infrastructures such as roads, water and power supply systems continues to pose further challenges to the restoration of normal operations at some of these healthcare facilities.

“We are also aware that some health workers in areas such as iLembe District have had challenges travelling between work and home, and that some had to sleep in our facilities due to the damage on the roads.”

Simelane said her department would accommodate the affected staff at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central, St Mary’s Marrianhill and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospitals.

“Having conducted a thorough assessment of the damage, we are now finalising internal administrative processes to source funding so that this repair work can commence without further delay. This will be in line with the declaration of a disaster by the president and all relevant regulations,” she said.

Simelane said most health facilities were fully functional and treating patients except for 13, which include the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central, Prince Mshiyeni Memorial and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospitals, which are experiencing water challenges.

“We are working very hard to mitigate the impact of this extraordinary situation, and are in constant engagement with other departments and municipalities, and inviting their further intervention where applicable,” she said.

“We have also put in place contingency measures — including beefing up the number of pathologists — to speed up the processing and completion of post mortems. This will help avoid backlogs while accommodating the potential intake of more bodies.”

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