Note to Editors: Please note Dr Imran Keeka, MPL soundbite in English
The DA notes with deep and growing concern a recent memorandum (view here and here) – jointly issued by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior Medical Manager of Grey’s Hospital – regarding persistently high temperatures in operating theatres.
This is not a new problem. It is a long-standing failure that has been repeatedly flagged, yet allowed to deteriorate further. The consequences are severe and unacceptable, causing ongoing anguish, pain and frustration for patients, their families and overstretched healthcare workers.
The inconsistent availability of theatres slate times due to unsafe operating conditions has also resulted in escalating surgical backlogs. In at least one case known to the DA, a patient admitted for fracture repair in December remains delayed.
It is unreasonable and unsafe to expect surgeons, fully gowned from head to toe, to operate competently in theatre temperatures currently reaching 27 degrees Celsius. This is indefensible should medico-legal claims arise. From an infection-control perspective, it is deeply concerning that procedures are even contemplated when the recommended temperature is below 23 degrees Celsius.
While facility management has taken the correct step of issuing guidance to staff and surgeons, this cannot be allowed to mask a much deeper infrastructure failure. Interim measures and procedural memos do not substitute for safe, functional operating theatres. The question is no longer whether protocols are being followed, but whether patients are being placed at risk.
The DA is fully aware that the hospital’s HVAC system and chillers have been compromised for years, largely due to ageing infrastructure. We are also acutely aware of the familiar explanation of resource constraints.
However, despite repeated assurances that this matter would be addressed, progress remains stalled, timelines are unknown and it is unclear whether this matter has been escalated to the Department of Health’s (DoH) priority infrastructure list. Given the vast catchment area served by Grey’s Hospital and its role as a key KZN tertiary facility, the continued challenge in resolving this matter is deeply concerning.
As a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA has called for a full report (view here) through the province’s Health Portfolio Committee. We expect this to be tabled at the next scheduled meeting on 17 February and for Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane and her Head of Department (HOD) to provide a clear, funded and time-bound plan when they appear before the committee.
It is untenable that healthcare workers should be forced to operate under such conditions and for patients to languish in wards for weeks on end while the DoH offers no end in sight.