Molefi Sompane
The long wait is over for residents of Lerole Lea Thunya Township in Rouxville, Free State. They finally have a functional clinic. Previously, Health-e reported that the community referred to the old clinic as a ‘deep freezer’. The conditions were less than ideal to provide and receive health services. The opening of the clinic last week by the Free State premier, Mxolisi Dukwana, and the Health MEC, Mathabo Leeto was met with elation by residents. Masello Modipa, 78, has watched contractors come and go over the past ten years. “The old clinic was just a two-room building with a container and we were subjected to cold weather,” she said. “I always prayed to have this clinic finished so we could be assisted in a private place and near to us. Before you had to travel to town for medication collection due to the decaying state of the old clinic.” Over R51 million
The mumps outbreak is affecting schooling in Botshabelo in the Free State, with at least 100 children testing positive. The Limpopo Health Department is urging parents to monitor symptoms. “Symptoms include headache, fever, malaise and loss of appetite. The glands near the ears swell resulting in puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. It causes severe pain. Such swelling usually lasts 2-3 days. We call on parents to seek medical attention if they notice these symptoms,” says department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi. Thari ya Tshepe Primary School’s principal Katiba Poone says the local clinic contacted him on Monday after treating a number of his pupils. He says he alerted parents and contacted other schools. “I shared information with other principals and I learnt that the outbreak has affected many schools in Botshabelo and Mangaung. We were supposed to have had a campaign with the Health Department for deworming we have since postponed it,”
The local clinic in Henneman in the Matjhabeng Municipality in the Free State has been closed for the last seven days since service delivery protests erupted in the area. Residents of Phomolong started protesting exactly one week ago over the lack of water. Community leader Tseko Moloi says the municipality has not communicated why they have not had water for the last three months. “We thought the municipality would use the Ventersburg protest to address us on the matter but nothing has been done,” he says. Moloi says the clinic was vandalised during the protests and has been closed ever since. Some community members have appealed to the protestors to allow the clinic to reopen. Residents appeal to protestors to allow clinic to reopen Pap Letsitsa was forced to fetch his blood pressure medication from a different clinic further away due to the closure. “I want to appeal to everyone
A fire destroyed bundles of bed sheets and patient attire at Pelonomi Hospital on Monday afternoon in what the Free State Health Department is calling sabotage. The department alleges that striking Nehawu workers started the fire. The South African Police Services (SAPS) is investigating a case of arson. Fire an attempt to collapse services Provincial Health Department spokesman Mondli Mvambi says they do not know how the culprits entered the linen bank. They also avoided police stationed at the hospital during the strike. “We will do our own investigation while the SAPS is investigating the case of arson. We believe whoever did this is attempting to sabotage. And since there was a week-long strike whoever did this was adding to our collapse of services,” he says. Firefighters were dispatched to the hospital on Monday afternoon after receiving an anonymous tip-off. This was the second fire in a week. A
On Wednesday evening, Nthabeleng Makhalema, 39, gave birth to her premature daughter at Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein. Pelonomi is badly affected by the Nehawu strike, with the facility having to move some patients to nearby hospitals. A midwife, disguised as a parent to avoid intimidation from Nehawu members who are striking, helped deliver the baby. The next day, Makhalema watched in shock as nurses were forcibly removed from the NICU ward. “I was told my baby needs to be kept for observation. In the early hours of the following day we were left alone after many workers entered the rooms and forcefully removed the nurses from work. I saw my child lose her life,” she says. It was only a day later that the grieving mother received her baby’s corpse. “There were no officials to help us and the one who returned my baby came from the strike.” Makhalema
Despite a court interdict preventing the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) from striking today, the union went ahead with its planned protest action. In the Free State, over 3000 health workers gathered outside several hospitals in Mangaung, Sasolburg, Qwaqwa and Welkom, under police watch. Tshepiso Maimane, a healthcare worker at Bongani Hospital in Welkom says he and others were barred entry by strikers. “They called me a sell out and threatened to deal with me. I called the cops and they left. I believe we both have rights and I cannot exercise my rights while undermining others. Some workers undermined our rights when we chose to work instead of joining the strike”, he said. The Free State Department of Health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi confirmed to Health-e News there were cases of intimidation of staff in various facilities around the province. He also said the presence of police prevented patients being turned
Bongani Regional Hospital in Welkom had to transfer critically ill patients to nearby facilities after cable theft left it without electricity for several hours last week. The provincial health department says the generator wires were also cut, so they could not switch to back-up power. Health MEC, Montsheng Tsiu says in the early hours of Friday the Free State Department of Health was informed the electricity feeder cable to the hospital was stolen. Immediate transfer of patients “The hospital management took urgent and drastic measures to transfer patients under critical care to the nearby private hospitals. The department will continue to do risk assessments whilst also working hard with the relevant stakeholders to ensure the situation is under control,” says Tsiu. Tsiu labelled the theft attempted murder and urged the community to help the police in their investigations. “Our community needs to work with the government to ensure
Nurses continued their strike action at Boitumelo Regional Hospital on Monday over safety issues, overtime and staff shortages. The nurses downed tools on Friday, leaving patients unattended and unable to get their medication. Patients who queued early in the morning were eventually told to go home as there was nobody to see them. A patient, Thabo Motsielwa from Dinoheng, not too far from the hospital, was fuming after being ignored for hours. “I’m very angry because our people are the ones being left to die. No one told us that we were not going to be helped. At least they should’ve let us know in the waiting area,” says Motsielwa. Nurses defend their action Meanwhile, a nurse, who asked for her name to be withheld, says their main grievance was the issue of safety inside the hospital. “We are also forced to work overtime without being paid. We’ve also
In December, Health-e News reported on the unacceptable service patients received at Pelonomi Regional Hospital in Bloemfontein. Free State Health MEC Montsheng Tsiu has since told Health-e News that the department and hospital management will meet in search of urgent solutions. Late last year, Mpuse Thamae, a mother of a patient, took to social media to report that pregnant women were forced to sleep on the floor at the facility. The post read: “Bathong jwale ee ya baimana ba high risk ba robalang ditulong pelonomi hospital ho sena dibethe ha hona hore baka iswa bo national hospital cos wow ba bang haba tsebe leho tsamaya maoto a ruruhile 💔💔(Guys what is this thing of high risk pregnant women at at Pelonomi Hospital who sleeps on the floor and on chairs. Why can’t they transfer people to National Hospital?” Mother shares harrowing experience Thamae told Health-e News that her daughter
The Free State has been dealt another huge blow after it emerged that 13 pregnant women were forced to sleep on floors in the antenatal ward at the Pelonomi Regional Hospital in Bloemfontein. When Thembi Mgababa went to give birth at Pelonomi, she never thought she’d have to lie on a mattress and wait her turn for over two days. It was during a period when the hospital had to deal with an influx of emergencies, with only 19 beds available. She said when she arrived, she found other women already sleeping on chairs and others on mattresses. “I gave birth to my first child at the hospital and was never ill-treated. There were two theatres, and every maternity ward had beds. This time around, things have changed. Patients are regarded as high, mild or low risks, and we receive attention based on each situation. I was told I
Patients seeking medical care at the Boitumelo Hospital in Maokeng, just outside Kroonstad in the Free State, have been turned away due to issues with contractors. Surgeries and other vital services have been called off until further notice. The Free State Health MEC, Montsheng Tsiu, however, said that problems have been solved at the hospital. “There were delays caused by the old contractor which affected services at the facility. We had to appoint a new contractor since the old one had failed dismally in getting things done in time,” she said. Media lies Tsiu denies that vital services, such as surgeries, were paused. She added that some media outlets had lied in their reports about the hospital. “We’ve seen false reports about non-service within the hospital’s theatres, which I can confirm, is working as we speak. I don’t understand the ploy of some media houses to tarnish our name
Free State Health MEC, Montsheng Tsiu, has admitted the province’s ambulance-patient ratio is so poor people sometimes wait days for help. “According to the ratio in the national health guidelines, at least a single ambulance should serve 10 000 people, and in the province, we are serving thirty thousand people,” she said. The MEC explained that the new fleet that was recently acquired wasn’t added to the existing one because it was being phased out. “Many people say we are buying a fleet of ambulances, yet we cannot serve them. The truth of the matter is that Free State doesn’t have ambulances. We have a fleet of old ambulances we let go of when we get new ones. That is why we don’t even meet the ratio,” she added. ‘People in rural areas get help’ “With our conditional grant, we cannot buy ambulances because of national government restrictions. We, however,