NEWLY-elected Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul made good on his promise that health care would receive particular focus during his premiership when he visited the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital yesterday where he spoke to management and staff.
Staff used the opportunity to raise numerous issues including the establishment of a district hospital, an orthopaedic unit “that must function” and a high care unit at the hospital.
Another area of concern raised was the long queues at the casualty department. The reason for this, some of the staff said, was the fact that the staff member at reception had to walk a fair distance to obtain the patient’s file.
“It is just one person who does that. So once the patient has been registered on the system by a staff member, that very same staff member has to go and find the file, which holds everything up and the queues don’t get reduced. It must also be remembered that this filing room holds files for the entire Northern Cape.”
Regarding the ICU, the staff said that it was currently full, which compromised patients.
There is also not a high care unit where patients can be accommodated after leaving the intensive care unit.
Psychiatric patients also posed a problem for staff at the hospital. It was pointed out that these patients had to be treated at the West End Hospital but as there were no beds available there, the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital had to accommodate them.
A staff member said that they become “disruptive and break expensive equipment”.
“We also try to put them on available beds, but they just jump down and lie on the floor. This makes it look like we force them to sleep on the floor, which isn’t the case.”
Staff also raised the issue of the shortage of simple equipment such as stretchers and wheelchairs.
Saul has indicated that he will not be “office bound” and will regularly work at the Department of Education and the Health Ministry.
According to Saul’s spokesperson, Bronwyn Abrahams, he engaged with management and staff at the hospital yesterday. “He has asked them to draw up a report on not only the issues that they raised, but also what he had personally witnessed. He has also tasked them to assist with finding solutions to these issues,” Abrahams said.