Casualty patients left on mattresses at Edenvale Hospital
The hospital has only 230 beds and needs to double in size to meet the need
MORE than 40 patients slept on the floor at the casualty section of Edenvale Hospital because there were not enough beds in the wards.
Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for health, saw this when he visited the hospital on October 8 after receiving a complaint from a patient who had spent four nights at casualty.
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Fazila Smith (48) was seen at the casualty on October 5 and diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. She requires ongoing treatment as well as surgery, Bloom said.
“Other patients lying on mattresses on the floor had illnesses that included meningitis, an enlarged heart, excess water and there was also an attempted suicide patient. A 90-year-old woman had been there for several days,” Bloom said.
“It’s a shocking scene that has not improved over the years despite visits by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and senior health officials. The situation has worsened with the recent closure of beds at Selby Park Hospital as this has diverted more patients to Edenvale Hospital.”
The hospital has only 230 beds and needs to double in size to meet the need. Urgent measures should be taken to alleviate the overcrowding at this hospital, Bloom said.
