Overcrowding at Tembisa Hospital a cause for concern
The hospital’s spokesperson, Nothando Mdluli, conceded that they have been faced with overcrowding and lack of staff.
Overcrowding at Tembisa Hospital’s maternity ward is a serious concern and someone has to do something about it.
This is according to angry community members who called on The Tembisan to investigate the matter.
Tsietsi Makua, a local resident who informed us about the hospital’s woes, says they will mobilise the entire community to march against what he termed as ‘injustice’ at the hospital.
“It is really sad that 25 years into our democracy our people have to receive such treatment at the one place where they are to be made to feel safe and better. We need to come together as a community and do something about this,” he said.
He also claimed that patients and pregnant women in general receive unsatisfactory services at the hospital due to shortage of healthcare professionals.
“It’s not just patients that we are worried about. We are equally concerned about the well-being of the few nursing professionals in charge of the maternity ward. We are aware that there are only two professional nurses manning the maternity ward with over 50 pregnant women. This is not on,” he continued.
A Facebook post, that has since gone viral, hasn’t done the hospital any favours either as it fuelled the community to be even more furious.
The post depicted an overcrowded ward with pregnant women in their hospital robes sharing benches while others lay in hospital beds.
“This is not a joke anymore. In ward 13 today we have 96 pregnant patients, which means we are caring for 192 souls in a ward that was supposed to occupy 51 patients. That means we have more than 40 patients on the bench. They will sleep there regardless of their conditions, with two right now on the floor,” read the post.
Asked for comment, the hospital’s spokesperson, Nothando Mdluli, conceded that they have been faced with overcrowding and lack of staff.
“Yes, the hospital is aware. The issue of overcrowding in the hospital has been a growing concern. Overcrowding in this regard is a provincial issue with Tembisa Hospital not being the only overcrowded hospital in Gauteng. Unfortunately, the issue of staff shortage is a provincial one, if not a national issue.
“But, the hospital has been given certain posts in nursing. Those posts are still not enough to render optimal services as the hospital is quite big and has more than 21 service areas,” she said.
She argued that the hospital is overcrowded due to infrastructural challenges and that it is the only one in North Ekurhuleni with no regional nor district hospital.
“The hospital was built in 1972. The current infrastructure is limited to cater for the growing population in North Ekurhuleni.
“Bear in mind that we service an estimated population of 1.4 million. All these people rely on Tembisa Hospital. And being the only hospital here, we cannot turn patients away, especially pregnant mothers as some have complicated pregnancies. We are forced to service all the patients against all odds.
“We are challenged with overcrowding, but we still need to render normal services,” she explained.
“We are the second hospital in the country to deliver the highest number of babies. Although we are challenged with overcrowding, we are grateful that we have drastically reduced our maternal deaths especially the ones which are avoidable. Indeed the hospital is striving to bring effective service delivery in the midst of the challenges,” she continued.
