Patients left in the dark at hospitals
The Department of Health, which received the second biggest slice of the annual budget for Limpopo, has been unable to replace light bulbs for months in the wards at Helen Franz Hospital in Senwabarwana.
LIMPOPO –Â This situation has led patients to stumble around the wards in the dark when they had to use the bathroom facilities at night.
According to several complaints, the patients, families and relatives have to make use of their cell phone lights or candles at night, and even during the day, when visiting patients.
“We are treated like worthless people in this hospital. Our constant plea to have the light bulbs changed seem to fall on deaf ears. This is why we have approached the media to intervene and help us be heard,” said one of the patients, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of victimisation, during a telephonic interview with CV last week.
The Helen Franz Hospital is not new to controversy with several officials being dismissed for communicating with the media about what was happening at the hospital.
In one incident, a 14-year-old mentally disabled boy, Ablonia Sehlako, was burned with hot water during a bath as nurses who were supposed to take him to the bathroom were allegedly busy on social media. Ablonia’s mother, Angela, said nurses wanted to conceal the matter and forced the boy not to tell her about the incident.
During the 2008/09 financial year, the Helen Franz Hospital was named the worst hospital in the country after recording the highest mortality rate of babies dying during birth.
When asked for comment about the recent lack of lights at the hospital, the Department Spokesperson, Neil Shikwambana, refuted these allegations.
“We want to denounce as exaggeration that there are sections of the hospital that went on without electricity or lights. As a matter of fact, the entire hospital has electricity,” Shikwambana said. He did, however, confirm some of the wards, especially male wards, had burnt out light bulbs which were not replaced.
“There were some light bulbs in one cubicle of the male ward that were no longer working. Someone unfortunately took a picture of these light bulbs not working for social media dramatisation and exaggeration,” Shikwambana added.
He also confirmed that a sizeable number of pregnant women lost their babies soon after delivery in the hospital maternity wards in recent years. “During the 2017/18 financial year, the hospital has recorded 38 cases of perinatal mortalities. Out of the 38 cases, 36 were stillbirths and two were born at an extremely low birth weight.
“Upon reviewing the cases, it has been established that part of the causes include pregnant women visiting clinics very late after conception which makes it difficult for health professionals
to save the unborn babies. Some deaths were due to over reliance on untested herbal medicines which often endanger the unborn babies,” Shikwambana explained.
Last week our sister paper, The Citizen, highlighted the plight of a medical doctor at WF Knobel Hospital in the Capricorn region when she pleaded for donations to buy heaters to warm patients in the wards.
The doctor, who was allegedly threatened with disciplinary action until the move was averted by this newspaper, wanted R15 000 to buy the heaters. This after the department failed to buy enough blankets for the hospital. To add insult to injury, the hospital’s windows were acutely broken, making it difficult for the patients to sleep in the chilling winter weather.
This week Shikwambana said: “There is a contractor on site to augment the work done by our maintenance team to address all maintenance challenges in the hospital, including the repair of broken windows. The work done is at an advanced stage and additional blankets have been procured and they will be delivered in no time”.
Last Thursday the EFF threatened protest action if the department fails to change the situation at both Helen Franz and WF Knobel hospitals.
“The condition and the situation at Helena Franz and WF Knobel hospitals highlight the extent of the danger which patients and pregnant mothers face each day while admitted.
“The collapse of services at the hospital and the failure to replace burnt bulbs in some of the wards also shows the department lacks leadership,” said EFF Leader in Tzaneen and Mopani, Jeffrey Madia.
“The problem is that anyone who tries to spill the beans about the hospitals are kicked out of the kitchen. We want the department to stop threatening and dismissing our leaders whenever they expose the evil deeds of the department,” charged Madia.
