The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital is grappling with a critical water shortage, impacting patient care and hospital operations.
The shortage stems from a disruption in supply from the Parktown 2 Reservoir.
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Due to the water crisis, non-emergency surgeries have been postponed, and the hospital is struggling with severe hygiene issues. Cleaning operations are halted, and sanitation facilities are inoperable, exacerbating the crisis. The hospital has been placed on the divert list, meaning new patients cannot be admitted, which places additional pressure on other healthcare facilities in the area.
Despite the hospital’s capacity to store seven million litres of water – far exceeding the required 500 litres per bed for its 1 080 beds –there are concerns about whether these storage tanks were adequately filled before the water supply issue began over the weekend.
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The Johannesburg council’s response has been sluggish, with delays in deploying water tankers to the hospital. As water shortages are expected to worsen, it is crucial to implement immediate water security measures at all hospitals, such as installing boreholes and expanding storage capacities, to prevent future crises.
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