Wentworth Hospital in the spotlight for poor conditions

WENTWORTH Hospital among, other Durban state hospitals, was put under the spotlight for the alleged poor conditions and mistreatment of patients recently. A Bluff woman spoke to the SUN about her monthly experiences at the hospital.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed her disappointment and frustrations at the service offered by some of the staff at the hospital during her monthly visits. “My mother suffers from osteoporosis, which severely affects her back, and I have a vein ulcer on my leg and both our conditions require us to go for monthly check-ups and to get medication from Wentworth Hospital. I have been going to that hospital in and out for three years now.  My mother and I have had to go back home often without the necessary medication that we need due to it being out of stock or receiving the incorrect dosages for certain medication. They also recently lost my medical file with all my medical details and history without a valid explanation. Some staff members are more helpful than others, ” she said.

A lack of sufficient wheelchairs and issues of having to wait in long queues with no certainty that patients will be attended to by a doctor or nurse, despite the seriousness of their medical condition, was also expressed by the anonymous patient. “It is common knowledge that many state hospitals do face challenges when it comes to providing health care to the large number of people who enter their doors but I just wish they could make more of an effort and show more compassion when it comes to assisting the patients who are in dire need of their services,” the patient added.

According to another news publication there was a recent incident which involved an 80-year-old diabetic patient being given a bloodstained wheelchair and not receiving any help from the security guard and nursing staff who were on duty at Wentworth Hospital. Relatives of the diabetic patient, who was delirious with pain and fever from a severe kidney infection, could not carry him into the hospital and eventually, he was taken back home without the medical attention he required.

Regarding the wheelchair incident, KZN Health Department spokesperson Ncumisa Mafunda said: “The Department notes with concern the unauthorised entry by a media practitioner into a public health facilities, which is contrary to the established procedure that regulates the functioning of media practitioners within public health facilities. Out of 30 wheelchairs that the hospital has, only four are non-functional. The hospital has advanced plans to replace the condemned wheelchairs, and has also adopted a monthly servicing plan for the wheelchairs. This process is the responsibility of the Systems Manager.”

The Department extends its apologies to any patient or member of the public who has encountered difficulty in finding a wheelchair. In such instances, those who are unable to locate a wheelchair are urged to approach the nearest hospital security guard or healthcare worker, who is duty-bound to assist them. Furthermore, the Department wishes to urge any patient who no longer requires the use of a wheelchair to bring it back so that it may be used by others.

Mafunda added that the Department wishes to point out that every hospital is allocated a budget to procure, maintain and repair its wheelchairs. Due to the burden of diseases in KZN, public health facilities see a large number of patients on a daily basis. “This does place strain on equipment, including wheelchairs. But overall, these hospitals are run by dedicated managers and staff who punch way above their weight, rendering healthcare and performing miracles on a daily basis under trying circumstances, including financial constraints due to the state of the economy. It would be most unfortunate if any media practitioner were to try to discredit the gallant efforts of the Department to attend to the healthcare needs to nearly 80 per cent of the population, based on a few isolated situations,” she said.

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