Health MEC denies deaths at PMB hospital due to power outage, slams staff for cooking patients' food outside

KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has ordered action against Northdale Hospital kitchen staff who cooked patients’ meals using firewood outside the facility after a power outage in the area.

She also dismissed allegations raised at a fiery protest outside the hospital in Pietermaritzburg on Friday linking patient deaths to the power outage.

Simelane said she was “gravely concerned” to see images circulating on social media depicting staff preparing meals outside and asked senior management to investigate.

“It was established the hospital was affected by an area-wide electricity outage. While all three backup generators activated as intended, one subsequently malfunctioned, disrupting power to certain sections of the hospital, including the kitchen,” she said.

While a service provider repaired the generator within hours, some kitchen staff started preparing meals on braai stands. 

Simelane said the decision to cook with firewood outdoors was “unacceptable and contravened our stringent food safety and contingency protocols”.

She said the protocol in such instances was to approach nearby hospitals for support.

“In light of this breach, I have already requested the department to take the necessary disciplinary steps against those responsible for this breach.”

Regarding broader infrastructure concerns at Northdale, Simelane said the appointment of a contractor for roof and other renovations is in progress, with work set to commence next week.

“There is no truth to allegations connecting patient deaths to the power outage. I can confirm that mortuary operations maintained normal functionality throughout the incident.

“I want to assure the public that Northdale hospital remains fully operational, and we are engaging all concerned stakeholders to resolve issues constructively.”

TimesLIVE