Twenty-one patients from Steve Biko Academic Hospital’s Cardiac and Paediatric ICU units temporarily moved due to a fire incident on Saturday, have been safely returned to their original wards following thorough air quality checks and cleaning.

A fire broke out in the plant room on the 7th floor of Steve Biko Academic Hospital at around 00:45, involving lithium-ion batteries from the Uninterrupted Power System (UPS).

According to the City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department, Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, firefighters extinguished it by 04:42 and safely evacuated 21 patients from the ICU on the 6th floor.

He said no injuries were reported.

The Gauteng Health Department spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, said all the patients were moved back to their original wards on Sunday afternoon.

“This comes after the successful sampling of the air, which cleared the wards of any dangerous gases, and the smoke odour was neutralised.”

He said the intensive care unit wards have undergone thorough cleaning to maintain a hygienic environment.

“The patients were promptly relocated to other units as a precautionary measure when dense smoke filled a part of the hospital after an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) unit which had a leak caught fire in the plant room.

“A contractor is on-site to replace the damaged UPS system.”

Modiba said the hospital building was not affected.

Also read: ICU patients evacuated during blaze at Steve Biko Hospital

Meanwhile, newly procured cutting-edge health equipment and medical technology were unveiled at the hospital last week.

This investment, worth over R26 million, will ensure that the hospital continues to provide better outcomes with fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and reduced readmission rates.

These newly procured equipment include two Catheterisation laboratories (Cath Lab), two Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, a Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT), three Bucky Xray units, a Chest X-ray unit, three Mobile C-Arm machines and six Mobile X-rays.

MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said that the procurement of these cutting-edge health equipment and medical technology is in line with the Gauteng Department of Health’s (GDoH) key priorities to modernise and improve health infrastructure and enhance patient care and improve operational efficiency.

“We want to ensure that every patient who walks through the doors of our facilities receives the best possible care. Therefore, it is imperative that our healthcare facilities are well equipped with the necessary resources to provide the quality healthcare services,” said the MEC.

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