EKURHULENI – DA’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, said overworked staff are resigning at the new Natalspruit Hospital in Vosloorus because of the severe overcrowding of patients.
According to Bloom, who discovered this when he visited the hospital as part of the DA’s campaign to cut hospital queues, nurses have resigned at the Obstetrics department because of a large increase in patients, who should normally be treated at local clinics but don’t trust the care they receive there.
“I also saw long queues at the Urology and Ophthalmology departments. Patients complained that they arrived in the early morning, but were still not seen by 14:00. They said that the queues were worse than at the old Natalspruit Hospital.
“There is only one urology specialist and two medical officers to handle 80 patients on Mondays and about 70 patients on Thursdays. Ironically, the paperless electronic system that has replaced files is a major cause of delay, because it takes time to register patients on it and many staff have not yet been trained to use it.
“I hope that the teething problems in the electronic filing system are overcome soon, but the more serious problem is the shortage of staff to deal with the increased patient volume. It’s a vicious circle as staff resignations increase the strain on the remaining staff, who are also tempted to work elsewhere,” Jack said.
The hospital was recently opened and it is said to be a modern hospital people of Kathorus deserved. However, there have been a few obstacles since it was officially opened.
When asked about this, Prince Hamnca, Head of Communications at the Department of Health, said: “Unfortunately, just like any other institution, staff at the new Natalspruit hospital do render resignations, as and when they get better opportunities elsewhere and others reach retirement age.
“However, in order to ensure an effective healthcare system, the Department continues with its efforts to improve services, which amongst others include the attraction and retention of skilled workers, bursary opportunities, providing adequate incentives, improving working conditions, reducing workloads and ensuring that workers have the necessary tools of the trade.”
