Drought blind sides surgery
It was reported that almost 200 people were on the waiting list for treatment
The acute drought is having an affect on those in desperate need of cataract operations at Dundee Hospital.
Operations at the eye clinic have come to a halt because the air conditioning system in the theatre can no longer be used because of the interruptions in water supply caused by Umzinyathi District Municipality ‘throttling water pressure’ to conserve water from around 10 am to 4 pm daily.
This results in pressure dropping remarkably and in some cases (especially in the higher lying areas) a total water cut off. “The air conditioning system is water cooled and while the Health Department has begun the process of replacing the water cooled system with an air cooled one, emergency operations requiring cataract surgery are being referred to Madadeni Hospital,” said Sam Mkhwanazi, KZN Department of Health spokesperson.
It was reported that almost 200 people were on the waiting list for treatment at the highly respected Dundee Hospital eye clinic where a visiting surgeon oversees treatment.
