Moms-to-be ‘floored’ by service
Patients at Mankweng Hospital are having to sleep on the floor, among other conditions
POLOKWANE – Sleeping on the floor with other mothers-to-be or new mothers sounds like a nightmare, yet it is what patients at Mankweng Hospital’s maternity ward have to go through.
Aside from these patients having to sleep on the floor, there is also inadequate toilet facilities – one leaking toilet for the around 40 patients – and they do not have warm water with which to wash.
Nurses and hospital personnel assisted by heating water with kettles and pouring it into small basins so the mothers could wash themselves.
It was also reported that patients had to bring their own blankets from home, as there reportedly wasn’t enough for all the patients, among other complaints of linen not having been changed when new patients were admitted.
One mother who had to sleep on the cold floor and in the unhygienic circumstances recently was the mother of baby Mia le Grange, Christelle Swanepoel, who was in the news after the service she received at the hospital when her baby was born prematurely.
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Spokesperson for the Department of Health, Derick Kganyago, confirmed reports of mothers-to-be sleeping on the floor at the Mankweng Hospital’s maternity ward last week.
“The hospital is a referral hospital and may not show patients, referred from other hospitals and clinics from all over the province, the door,” he said during an interview.
He said there is not enough space and beds for all the patients at times and temporary measure sometimes have to be taken to accommodate patients.
He added the authorities are aware of the non-availability of warm water and a new panel of contractors have been appointed to deal with urgent issues.
The issue with warm water should be solved this week, he promised.
“The infrastructure is old and there is not enough resources to deal with all challenges.
“The issue needs serious intervention and it will take time for things to be rectified. Hospitals are forever in ICU with regards to finances needed,” Kganyago said.
