Patients awaiting urgent operations face weeks of delays after sweltering conditions inside Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela forced doctors to postpone procedures.

One patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Lowvelder that he was admitted about three weeks ago after sustaining a leg fracture.

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According to him, his surgery was postponed because theatre temperatures were too high for his procedure. He, however, remains hopeful as his surgery is scheduled for next week. He added that he was satisfied overall with the service at the hospital and that the staff were very helpful.

High temperatures pose infection risk

In response, acting CEO and clinical manager Dr Tefo Mabina confirmed that the hospital has had challenges with regulating temperatures.

“Yes, we had problems this past week, but we had to postpone some of the surgeries to ensure the patient’s safety,” he said.

With increased temperatures in theatres, patients undergoing long procedures run the risk of contracting infections. Lower temperatures help slow down the potential growth of airborne microorganisms.

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Mabina confirmed that the hospital has eight theatres with functional air conditioners and that the waiting time for procedures is two to six weeks.

“When the hospital was built, they installed a central control system for all the aircons, which gets regulated to the same temperature,” he explained.

Mabina said that during heatwaves, rising temperatures mean some patients cannot undergo surgery. He explained that paediatric and burn patients often require warmer temperatures to ensure that they do not develop hypothermia, for example.

Hospital plans upgrades for 2 theatres

There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel. Mabina told Lowvelder that the issue was already raised by paediatric surgeons in September and that the hospital subsequently asked a service provider to modify two theatres’ air conditioners so that they could be regulated individually.

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“The service provider was here in September, and we are waiting for the assessment to determine whether the change is feasible and what the cost will be,” he added.

He was not able to disclose when the assessment is expected to be finalised.

Mabina remains hopeful that they can make the necessary adjustments to perform more procedures in shorter time frames.

The Department of Health’s comment on the air conditioning and funds was not received at the time of publication.

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