Edenvale Hospital is overcrowded
The hospital scores only 50% on cleanliness according to national health standards
Also read: Woman waits in vain for caesarean at Tembisa Hospital
Tembisa Hospital: only 3 nurses deliver 50 babies a day
Woman left naked and uncleaned at Edenvale Hospital
EDENVALE Hospital, which runs at an average 98 per cent capacity, needs to be expanded from 230 beds to 450 beds.
This was a major concern expressed by Dr Norman Kearnes, the hospital CEO, during a visit by the Gauteng Legislature’s health committee last week.
“I have seen for myself how patients in casualty lie on the floor or in the corridors because there are not enough beds to be admitted,” Jack Bloom, MPL, DA Gauteng shadow MEC for health, said in a statement.
Other issues include:
• Small repairs can take months because responsibility was transferred last year to the infrastructure development department, eg the casualty door has been broken for more than three months.
• While there is only a 3% vacancy rate in funded staff posts, the hospital is in desperate need of more doctors and nurses, which means that the official staff establishment should be increased.
• Waiting times are worse in the early morning but are more acceptable later in the day.
• Medicine shortages are dealt with by substitutions or getting from other institutions.
• The hospital scores only 50% on cleanliness according to national health standards.
According to Bloom the hospital budget is R266.6 million but is expected to spend R340 million by the end of the financial year in March.
“The expansion of Edenvale Hospital makes a lot of sense because the local population has grown rapidly. The 800-bed Tembisa Hospital is horribly over-crowded and it appears that Kempton Park Hospital will not be re-opened in the near future,” he said.
“Plans for additional beds at Edenvale Hospital date back to 2006, and should be implemented as soon as possible.”
