Huge growth in casualty patients at Edenvale Hospital
Casualty cases have gone up more than seven times in the past three years
The number of patients seen at the casualty department of Edenvale Hospital has grown tremendously from 820 patients in 2012 to 4 399 patients seen from January to September this year.
These figures were revealed by Gauteng Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, in a written reply to questions in the Gauteng Legislature by Jack Bloom, MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health.
Patient casualty figures have risen as follows:
2012: 820 patients
2013: 1 808 patients
2014: 3 224 patients
January to end-September 2015: 4 399 patients
Also read:
• Casualty patients left on mattresses at Edenvale Hospital
• Woman left naked and uncleaned at Edenvale Hospital
• Edenvale Hospital is overcrowded
“This means casualty cases have gone up more than seven times in the past three years – from an average of 68 patients a month in 2012 to 489 patients a month this year,” Bloom said.
According to Mahlangu, the increase is because of the growth of the user population; the burden of disease, particularly HIV and Aids; and social determinants of health, particularly motor vehicle accidents, alcohol related injuries and stabbings.
“Mahlangu says the size of the casualty facility is currently not meeting the demand and that a ‘short stay’ area has been established with 12 beds,” Bloom said.
“She denies that any patients sleep on the floor but I have seen this myself and have photographs to prove it. She says that the plan is to build two 24-bed wards, and this is in the ‘planning stage’.
“Mahlangu’s response shows the scale of the problem but no urgency to accommodate the huge increase in casualty cases in the near future. The department is notoriously slow in building anything on time or within budget.
“In the short-term the department should pay private hospitals to look after overflow patients at Edenvale Hospital, and should speed up the building of new wards which are urgently and desperately needed.
“Re-opening Kempton Park Hospital would also assist in providing decent care to people in this rapidly expanding area,” Bloom said.
