Health Department has plan for water-starved Durban hospital

The KZN Department of Health said a contingency plan is in place to ensure that Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in Umlazi, south of Durban, is still operational even without water.

The eThekwini Municipality said water supply interruptions in some parts of the area were due to a burst in the 300 mm diameter water pipe on the South Coast Bridge over the Umlaas Canal.

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The hospital has been without water for almost a week and KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane appealed for calm and patience, while the situation is being attended to.

Since the bursting of a water pipe near Glebelands Hostel on Friday, management of the hospital have implemented a multi-pronged contingency plan that has ensured the hospital’s continued functioning, albeit at reduced capacity.
She said the situation was not ideal but they were coping, adding that the hospital was still able to manage the 898 patients admitted as well as the booked outpatients attending its outpatient clinics.

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As a department we wish to apologise to the public for these circumstances, which were unforeseen. We’d like to thank all our staff and healthcare users for their patience and co-operation as we continue with efforts to minimise the impact of these challenges on healthcare service delivery …
The department said its contingency plan consisted of water and sanitation, and clinical services.

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In the water and sanitation plan, the department said drinking water for patients and staff was being supplied through five-litre water bottles, 30 Jojo tanks were currently being installed in strategic positions at the hospital, and a water tanker from the eThekwini Municipality was stationed full-time at the hospital and providing water.

Furthermore, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs [Cogta] has offered to allocate two water tankers to also assist with the refilling of the hospital’s main water reservoir.
She said water tankers with drivers from the 11 districts in the department were also being mobilised to eThekwini to assist with the filling of the reservoir in Prince Mshiyeni. The department said 30 mobile toilets had also been hired to support sanitation services.

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With regards to the clinical services, Simelani said there were 55 orthopaedic patients currently admitted, and patients who require orthopaedic care were being shared between RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth and Addington Hospital in Durban, as additional theatre spaces had been provided in both these hospitals.

The hospital was still managing emergency surgical and maternity cases.