Gauteng govt inspects Pretoria West hospital

The Pretoria West district hospital building is well maintained but there are still concerns, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) has said.

The department visited the hospital for an inspection on July 18.

The inspectors assessed the patient care areas, conditions of the wards, absolution facilities, kitchen area, mortuary and casualty reception.

“For this facility, it’s been good, it’s at a level 3 on our ranking system,” said Jaco Viljoen, deputy director of maintenance at DID.

“There are some floor issues where we can change the flooring, the vinyl on the wall and the floor, the toilets need to be upgraded a little bit, the lighting and the doors but in general this facility is not in a bad state.

The DID ranking system is from levels 1 to 5, with 1 being unacceptably poor and 5 excellent. Whilst 5 remains the ultimate goal for all facilities, the DID said that it’s in the midst of generating more 3s, 2/2.5 – green and amber respectively.

While the hospital bears responsibility for providing adequate facilities, residents are still encouraged to treat these facilities with respect.

“I think locals should get a little bit more involved in the community. Not just come in and say this is wrong and that’s wrong.

There are even minor things they can do like taking care of the litter around them, not just throwing things on the floor, letting someone else pick it up. In general, just be part of the community of the hospital to make it better for everyone,” Viljoen continued.

Hospital acting CEO Lillian Madiba said the visit was welcome and the hospital recognised the touch-ups the facility needs to attend to.

“The DID is one of our stakeholders, it’s a department that assists the health department monitor the safety of the building. For them to visit us here, checking the state of the hospital in terms of safety, occupancy and the condition that it is in for the patients and staff is always appreciated,” Madiba stated.

“In terms of their assessment, it’s good to hear that we are in good condition but we definitely still need touch-ups here and there.”

The CEO said that the more than 40-year-old hospital faces various problems such as water leaks and ageing infrastructure.

The multiple-storey building’s last floor (the 5th floor suffered a water leak) is said to be experiencing the brunt of these problems but Madiba said these were being addressed.

“There are other areas that still need attention… areas we need to renovate, we need more space for patients [because] our surrounding population has increased.

“Phillip Nel Park didn’t exist when this hospital was originally built nor did informal settlements like Gomora/Melusi.

“We’re getting more and more patients so our wards need to have more and more space and beds. Our kitchen is struggling to cater to all the patients. We are currently renovating it, the mortuary and the admission area,” Madiba said.

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