Donald Fraser Hospital goes a week without water

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The Department of Health blamed a burst pipe for the shortage, which was fixed after about a week.

Patients reported washing with cold water given to them in small bowls for days after a pipe burst at the hospital in late August. Nurses said they could not use the toilets at work and had to wait to relieve themselves until they returned home after shifts.

Patients had no other choice but to use the facility’s toilets, which could not flush due to the lack of water.

“We are forced to use the toilets even though they do not flush,” said one patient in the male ward. “As a result, there is a strong smell that comes from the toilets which makes it difficult for us to cope in the ward.”

OurHealth visited some of the facility’s toilets to find dirty nappies on the ground and toilets full of faeces

Limpopo Department of Health spokesperson Macks Lesufi blamed the water shortage on a burst pipe. This pipe was fixed on 5 September after a visit from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and municipal workers.

Author

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho is citizen journalist who is based in the Vhembe District of Limpopo province. He joined OurHealth in 2015 and his interests lie in investigative journalism and reporting the untold stories of disadvantaged rural communities. Ndivhuwo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies from the University of Venda and he is currently a registered student with UNISA.
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