‘Food in prison is better’: Patients describe ‘dirty, rotten’ conditions at Witbank General Hospital

Delayed medical attention, filthy ablution facilities with poor water supply, undercooked food, ill-treatment of patients and overcrowded wards are some of the conditions at the Witbank General Hospital in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, patients claim.

These details emerged after a disgruntled patient listed the dire conditions in a voice note.

Wandile Mncube recorded the note and asked patients in the same ward to describe their stay at the facility.

When Mncube accidentally cut his fingers with a grinder, he sought emergency help at the hospital. But after allegedly going four days without assistance and increasing pain in his bandaged fingers, he felt a need to expose the hospital. 

Some patients are heard on the voice note, which went viral on social media, complaining about the dire state of the hospital and ill-treatment by nurses and other staff.

One alleged that 10 patients were crammed in one ward. Another patient complained that since he arrived at the hospital early in December he was yet to have surgery for a gunshot wound.

Another patient complained that since he arrived in December he had been wearing the same clothes and hadn’t received medical attention.

“Everything we need here, we must fight for before we get it,” he said.

The man, who called himself Simon Ndlovu, is heard on the clip complaining hospital staff should take him to where they found him. “They are not helping me, my leg is rotting and I don’t sleep at night,” he said.

Jabu Nkosi said he was transferred to the hospital from Middelburg Provincial Hospital and scheduled for an operation, but when he arrived they kept postponing the date. He said he couldn’t sleep at night because of pain.

“Toilets are worse, food in prison is better,” said a patient.

Another claimed they had to sleep with a corpse for about 10 hours after a patient died and when hospital staff were called they allegedly only attended to the person who died in the morning.

Responding to the audio clip, provincial health department spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said Witbank hospital is a tertiary hospital and they admit referred patients from nine hospitals in Gert Sibande and seven in Nkangala district municipalities.

He confirmed Mncube went to the hospital on February 2 after being injured. 

“This was as a result of a grinder. He was seen by the casualty doctor at 4.30pm and referred to the orthopaedic department. While awaiting the orthopaedic team, he and his family became impatient and decided to leave. It is alleged they went to Emalahleni Private Hospital.

“They came back at 7pm and he was seen at 7.40pm.”

Malamule said X-rays were taken, analgesics were given and a “backslab was put on the arm”.

“The plan was to take him to theatre the same day. Unfortunately, there were many maternity patients who were prioritised as they were an emergency. The team that admitted him then booked him for [an] operation on February 5,” said Malamule.

On the day of the operation, Mncube initially signed a refusal of hospital treatment form and insisted he wanted to leave the hospital as the operation was delayed.

After lengthy discussions with the treating doctor, he changed his mind and stayed. He was operated on as planned. 

On Thursday morning, EFF regional member Johannes Kambule said after the audio clip circulated on social media they decided to make an oversight visit to the hospital and were greeted with the sight of patients sleeping on the floor.

“That hospital is dirty, it is rotten and I don’t think you will want your relative to be admitted and eat food at that place,” he said.

They met the hospital CEO and some staff members. 

Malamule disputed allegations about the food, saying food and the amount given to patients are determined by a dietitian. A contracted service provider delivers groceries to hospitals and a standard menu is developed by dietitians.

“The hospital has a mortuary on site and patients who pass on are taken out immediately. The patient they are referring to was on a ventilator,” he said.

Due to space challenges and a shortage of ICU beds at the hospital, the patient had to be cared for in the ward.

“During the redress session with the patients who were complaining on the clip, they indicated they thought the patient was dead. It is not true that they slept with a corpse for 10 hours.”

He said the province has sent a team to investigate the situation and recommend interventions. “However, it should be appreciated that staff are doing their best after the closure of the heritage building which was housing more than 206 beds that had to be squeezed into the remaining wards and, unfortunately, the hospital cannot turn patients away when they need assistance.”

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