Tintswalo Hospital: Mpumalanga’s shame

Tintswalo Hospital: Mpumalanga’s shame

 Bvunzamutupo News Reporter

“I went on a personal inspection tour of the Tintswalo Hospital in Bushbuckridge, and found it in such a state of disrepair that it does not deserve to be called a health care institution of any kind – nor provide health care to thousands of residents.

“My decision to visit the hospital follows after reports surfaced of rotten food served to patients, and to establish the extent of the problem.” Venter said.

He said, what I found was staggering to say the least. The kitchen is in an absolutely chaotic state:

The walk-in fridges do not work properly and their door latches are broken, forcing staff to use bricks to keep them shut;

·         the kitchen doors are warped and do not open or close properly, at potential risk to kitchen personnel;

·         Washbasins do not have drainpipes, and staff have to drain it into buckets and other containers, carry it outside and dispose of into run-offs;

·         Extractor fans are broken, forcing staff to work in excessively hot, steamy and smoky conditions;

·         Many of the central heating steam pipes in the kitchen have leaks. These, coupled with an unprotected safety valve, potentially expose anyone entering the kitchen to severe scalds and burns.

The state of the kitchen has resulted in food not being stored in suitable conditions, and staffs are in a daily struggle to keep flies and other insects away from food and food preparation areas.

The rest of this hospital is no different. The roof in casualty is in such a state of disrepair that whenever it rains, water flows unabated down walls and onto the floor, posing a severe safety risk to medical personnel and patients.

The pharmacy is too small and has insufficient storage space for drugs, the casualty department struggles with poor infrastructure and broken equipment, and the entire hospital is hopelessly understaffed.

Tinstwalo Hospital is certainly not a health department priority, and has not been at the receiving end of any departmental revitalising plans since 2009. Furthermore, some of these concerns were reported to the department as far back as 2003, and have never been attended to.

“The DA will write to health MEC Candith Mashego-Dlamini demanding that the department conduct a full needs assessment at Tintswalo and to prioritise infrastructural improvement from the next financial year onwards.” Venter said

We will also use our position in the portfolio committee for health to push for the complete revitalisation of this hospital.