Inspections of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) health facilities, by Members of the provincial Legislature, have revealed that ‘the chickens have come home to roost’ for the province’s Department of Health(DoH) after years of mismanagement and neglect.
The visits were conducted last week in order to assess the readiness of facilities to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DA is concerned by the unfavourable findings at many facilities which are made all the more alarming in light of the current health pandemic. Of particular concern are the issues around staffing, infrastructure backlogs and lack of water supply. These are historic problems – ignored for the DoH for years – and it is clear that KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu and her Department have been caught on the back foot with the arrival of Covid-19.
In Umkhanyakude, for example, the DA found that there are no ICU beds for Covid-19 patients and only 14 ventilators for a total population of 702 470. Then there is the finding that despite the current pandemic, two of the province’s biggest hospitals, Addington and King Dinizulu have a shortage of medical officers.
Added to this is the Department’s ongoing failure to appoint non-critical staff, including enrolled nursing assistants, administration clerks, cleaners, laundry staff and porters. This is now having ‘real life’ patient consequences. This includes ward patients not being bathed or receiving bed-turning, bed linen not being washed regularly, wards not being cleaned and patients having to queue for hours for their patient files.
Staffing issues were also found at Thembalesizwe Clinic in Port Shepstone, where there is no operational manager, no clinical nurse practitioner, no professional nurse and certainly no plan to address this given the lack of funding to do so within the DoH. In addition, only two of the six Chief Artisan positions in the Ugu District are filled, leading to major maintenance backlogs. At Othobothini Community Health Centre in Jozini we also found a 66% vacancy rate for nursing staff. To add to this, the facility only has one cell phone and 17, of which 10 do not work.
With examples such as this, it is little wonder that the province’s R20billion medico-legal bill continues to balloon. It is precisely due to staff shortages that errors take place and that there are so many tragic incidents of medical negligence.
In terms of infrastructure, the DA found that sub-standard facilities are affecting physical distancing. This was seen at Siloah Lutheran Hospital in Zululand where a 12-bed isolation facility is still not ready. Other infrastructure findings in the province include the following;
– St Mary’s KwaMangwaza Hospital, a mud-built facility in Melmoth, is falling apart with 75% of all buildings, including wards, experiencing water leaks. The hospital is inadequate in terms of space
– At the Bruntville Community Health Clinic (CHC) the pharmacy building remains unfinished and part of the facility that burned down has never been repaired. There is also no proper waste storage facility. This while two out of three mobile clinic vehicles are not functioning and the only remaining vehicle struggles to get into rural areas and;
– At the Mpofana clinic the DA found that the landlord is not maintaining the building which is also far too small.
Lack of water supply also remains hugely problematic at many facilities across KZN. At Murchison District Hospital, the DA found that while there are JoJo tanks on site, they are still waiting to be filled. The Isithebe clinic in Mandeni also has no water. Proper sanitation forms the basis of the fight against the spread of Covid-19. How these and other health facilities without water are supposed to practice proper safety regulations is a question that the MEC and his Department need to answer.
The irony of these findings is that the KZN DoH has the capacity to deliver world-class healthcare. The DA has seen this in facilities such as the Clairwood Hospital and the new Dr Pixley ka Seme Hospital. What it lacks is the political will to do so. Certainly, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments on ‘nine wasted years’ under the administration of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, also apply when it comes to this Department.
The DA included all the issues into resolutions with timebound solutions to be taken by district delegations. We expect MEC Simelane-Zulu and her Department to rectify and report back on all of these vital issues. We will be monitoring this process very closely.