Gauteng's water crisis that has led to the forced cancellation of surgeries in hospitals is a violation of patient rights and detrimental to health, role players say.
Sixteen Gauteng public hospitals have experienced water cuts this year, forcing the cancellation of 392 operations. This was revealed by Gauteng health and wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to questions in the Gauteng legislature by DA MP Jack Bloom. She said the department was taking steps to address the challenges.
Simphiwe Gada, Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) Gauteng chairperson, said this has been a headache for years.
“The situation is problematic, and has been for the past three to four years. Water is essential in hospitals because it improves the quality of care. One has to navigate the hospital with washed hands otherwise it causes cross-contamination,” said Gada.
“It has also forced nurses to do non-clinical duties, and in some instances, they have to fetch water with buckets which puts them at the risk of occupational hazards.
“This is not a competency of the hospital. It's violating the rights of patients. It does not have good health outcomes for patients who have to cancel their procedures. They have to be cancelled because you can't use water from a tank for an operation. It needs to be sterilised as much as possible. It also adds to the surgical backlog from Covid-19.”
The Helen Joseph Hospital experienced seven water supply interruptions from March to September this year, with 36 operations cancelled. Edenvale Hospital had to cancel 117 operations because of seven periods with low pressure or no water at all, sometimes lasting as long as a week. Negative effects on patients included being unable to clean, cook and operate essential equipment such as boilers, laundry appliances and sterilisers.
Six water failures at Pholosong Hospital on the East Rand led to 127 cancelled operations with another 36 deferred.
Water problems are not only because of Rand Water or municipal cuts. No fewer than 11 hospitals lost water because of internal pipe breakages, Bloom said. These include Chris Hani Baragwanath, Charlotte Maxeke, George Mukhari, Steve Biko, Thembisa, Kalafong, Edenvale, Leratong, Yusuf Dadoo, Kopanong and Jubilee hospitals.
In Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, a few weeks ago toilets weren't able to flush due to water cut problems. You can imagine the extent of this calamity
— Monwabisi Sidwell Mbasa, Treatment Action Campaign Gauteng chair
“The department says hospitals should have a minimum of 48 hours' water storage, which many hospitals claim to have, but it does not seem to have prevented water disruptions,” Bloom said.
“One problem is that some hospitals do not have pumps to get water to higher floors. Low water pressure is a particular problem at the Thembisa and Edenvale hospitals.”
The department said steps are being taken to ensure all hospitals have tankers and boreholes, rainwater harvesting, grey water reuse and water purification plans.
“Better maintenance should also be a priority as leaking pipes aggravate the problem,” Bloom said.
Gada said the union would endorse plans to ensure adequate water supplies, including water tanks and borehole where necessary.
Monwabisi Sidwell Mbasa, the Treatment Action Campaign's Gauteng provincial chairperson, said the impact of water supply problems on hospitals and clinics is catastrophic.
The infrastructure is old and dilapidated and poorly maintained. Another contributing factor is load-shedding, because water pumps require electricity to pump water with adequate pressure into reservoirs and parts of hospitals.
“In Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, a few weeks ago toilets weren't able to flush due to water cut problems. You can imagine the extent of this calamity,” said Mbasa.
He said within the primary healthcare sector such as clinics, services are suspended for an entire day when there are water cuts. In some cases they had to be suspended for a week, such as in one instance in the Ekurhuleni East area.
“We are expecting more disruptions of water supply because municipalities are implementing different projects like changing old infrastructure, installation of new sewage grids and the recalibration of infrastructure like conversion of metal infrastructure into fibre and plastic. Such projects have a huge potential of causing a lot of disruptions, and hospitals, clinics, households and several other sectors are severely affected,” Mbasa said.
The Gauteng department of health said as of June this year, its surgical backlog was at 37,000, which has improved to about 18,000.
“It must be noted the department is chasing a moving target as the numbers for surgical procedures are fluctuating due to new appointments which require additional resources,” said the department's spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
“Despite the fluctuation in surgical procedure numbers, the department is making inroads as it has been consistently performing 8,000 surgeries on a monthly basis and the process has also benefited health practitioners in terms of building capacity and skills transfer.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.