R1-20/FREE
20 September 2013
Department accused of dumping medical supplies
One of the photos received claiming that the F H Odendaal Hospital in Modimole is dumping patient’s beds and medical supplies. Photo: Supplied Justin Steyn Photos anonymously sent to the DA suggest another instance of medical equipment shortages in a Limpopo hospital. It was said that patients at F.H. Odendaal Hospital in Modimolle are sleeping on the floor because of an acute shortage of beds in the hospital. “This state of affairs is completely unacceptable considering the fact the DA has been stopped from saving medical equipment which included beds, wheelchairs and baby incubators, which have been dumped by Polokwane Hospital,” said Limpopo DA spokesperson Desiree Van der Walt.
Citizens speaks out!
“The situation at F.H. Odendaal hospital borders on utter callousness for the patients who use that public facility. According to our source, nurses are sometimes forced to donate their own money to buy food for the patients before giving them medication because there is also a shortage of food supply in this hospital,” she added. The DA has pushed for an urgent meeting with Health MEC ,Dipuo Letsatsi Duba, to explain why the Limpopo government is dumping medical equipment instead of repairing it. “We want the practice of dumping medical equipment in Limpopo to end and for shortages to be addressed immediately,”
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said Van der Walt. In response, the Department of Health and Social Development acknowledged the existence of some problems at hospitals in the province including shortage of medical equipment and hospital furniture. The department’s spokesperson, Adele van der Linde, said that FH Odendaal is not an exception. “During the MEC’s inspection of hospitals in the Mopani, Vhembe and Sekhukhune Districts, it became clear that certain problems cut across including that of equipment shortages. The MEC conducted these visits together with management of the department, to get a clear indication of the state of hospitals in the province. The Waterberg and Capricorn districts will receive visits in due course,” she said. She added that health care workers work under immense pressure as a result of these shortages as well as the shortage of doctors and other health care professionals not only in the province but in the country as a whole. The department said that it has noticed a sporadic shortage of surgical sundries and this is being addressed urgently. It was also stated that the turnaround time of service in the outpatient departments also leaves much to be desired. “Infrastructure is old and in many cases no longer sufficient to carry the load of patients. However, the MEC has also observed some outstanding service, management and innovation at hospitals. She has observed, for instance, wellstocked pharmacies, catering of a high standard and highly organised laundry services. In many cases, service providers are not rendering quality services and hence there will be an urgent meeting with all service providers this week. The Department will not tolerate insufficient and/
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or ineffective service from service providers” said Van der Linde. It was said that the department is working on a turnaround strategy for all hospitals in the Province and after consultation with all relevant stakeholders; the strategy will be rolled out. The National Health Insurance programme is also set to be rolled out in the Vhembe district which plans to make small structural improvements in the near future, as facility inspection teams do their rounds and assessments. The department said that the district’s hospitals and clinics will also benefit from park homes strategically placed to relieve issues of limited space in which to conduct certain medical services. Van der Linde has denied accusations of dumping. “On the issue of the so-called “dumping” of medical equipment, the Department once again wishes to place on record that the assets at the Assets Unit of the hospital, that were identified by the DA as a “dumping site”, are currently undergoing assessment in terms of their functionality. These items have been removed from the Hospital and other hospitals around the province, because most of them, due to their state of wear and tear, have become hazardous to patients and staff” she said. Van der Linde said that items that can be fixed by the logistics team on site, will be fixed after assessment has been completed and the necessary sundries procured. She added that Items that require specialised repair will be repaired once a service provider has been appointed and assets that are classified as redundant will go through the normal procedure of government assets disposal. It is a criminal offence to remove government assets from government premises without the necessary permission.
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