Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital has had no water for several days

Umlazi residents are being urged to donate bottled water to Prince Mshinyeni Memorial Hospital in Durban, which has been without water for several days.

Doctors at the hospital say the water crisis is now putting patients at risk of cross-contamination, after water reserves at the hospital ran out over the weekend.

The water outage is said to be caused by a burst pipe.

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Other areas affected by the water supply breakdown are Glebelands Hostel, Mega City, and Umlazi V Section.

Lack of water a health hazard

Medical practitioner, Dr Atiya Mosam, said without adequate access to safe water, both patients and staff were at risk of cross-contamination and contracting other infections.

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Water is essential for patients’ safety and hygiene practices. Aside from water being necessary for cleaning of facilities and equipment so as to prevent cross-contamination, it is also necessary for patients and staff to wash their hands after using the bathroom or, for example, when clinicians need to sanitise their hands for invasive procedures or surgery.

She said, without water, there was a risk of both patients and staff at the hospital coming into contact with unhygienic or infectious substances.

Umlazi ward 88 councillor, Thembinkosi Mathe, said there were many factors that contributed to the water issues in the area, including burst pipes.

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He said a large part of Umlazi V Section is without water due to a pipe that burst over the weekend around Mega City.

Over the weekend we struggled to have access to water tankers, but by yesterday we had tankers providing water in the community.

DA eThekwini executive committee member, councillor Andre Beetge, said it was unacceptable for the hospital and surrounding areas in Umlazi not to have a water supply for days on end.

He said, after doing an inspection, they identified several issues, among which was the concern over the pipe supplying the hospital with water being embedded within the construction of a bridge on Griffiths Mxenge Highway, Umlazi V section.

As such, repairs were unable to be concluded over the weekend, which has left patients vulnerable and desperate after the hospital reserves ran dry on Saturday afternoon.
This crisis requires coordination and collaboration between the government, the private sector, and the community.

Appeal for bottled water donations

Beetge also appealed to the private sector and NPOs to donate bottled water to the hospital.

The eThekwini Municipality said teams were on the ground to restore water expeditiously.

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In the meantime, we are providing water by making use of water tankers.

“We apologise profusely for the inconvenience being caused to all our clients,” said eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela.

The Department of Health had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.