Teboho Setena
Bloemfontein: Although the Free State Department of Health has taken action of improving maternity service and circumstances, the decision to accommodate mothers and newborns in a freezing temporary maternity ward at Bloemfontein’s National District Hospital has sparked outrage. This decision has further been described as a gross violation of human rights.
Strong sentiments on the matter have been aired by gravely concerned workers, as well as the Public Servants Association (PSA) trade union. A crisis involving the department’s maternity service has been ongoing since last year, when fire destroyed the maternity ward at the National Hospital. Ultimately closed by the provincial Department of Labour on Thursday, 10 July, the ward that has since been used as a temporary maternity ward previously accommodated adult females. The department issued a prohibition notice because of the cold conditions and babies subsequently developing hypothermia.
This followed several complaints by staff, who said they too were suffering due to the conditions, apparently arising from the neglect of maintenance. They raised grave concerns regarding the high safety risks involved in occupancy of the temporary maternity award.
Lynsie Pelser, spokesperson for the PSA, says the ongoing deterioration of healthcare infrastructure in the Free State has reached a critical point. At the time of the notice being issued, she confirmed that babies had been struggling to keep warm.
“Communities are being denied access to essential services, and healthcare workers are operating under unsafe and unsustainable conditions. The people of the Free State deserve a healthcare system that is functional, dignified and responsive. We cannot allow systemic neglect to continue while lives hang in the balance,” says Pelser.
Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the Department of Health, has confirmed that the notice for discontinued use of the 21-bed maternity ward at the National Hospital was issued due to low temperatures. He explains the intervention activated as the diversion of low-risk cases to the MUCPP Community Health Centre and high-risk cases to the Pelonomi Hospital.
Five babies have since been discharged and are doing well at home.
“The department is actively addressing the situation through the Infrastructure unit of the Provincial Department of Health,” he says.
The department has further stated that it will be furnishing a different ward in the National Hospital to accommodate mothers and babies.
The actual maternity ward at the National Hospital was destroyed by fire on 7 July last year. The fire also damaged other areas of the hospital: ward 3, for paediatrics; ward 5, which is classified as a mixed ward; and ward 7, for male patients.
The temporary maternity ward was created to alleviate the influx at the Pelonomi Hospital’s maternity ward. Evidence of the unbearable situation there became clear with the sight of pregnant women sitting on benches and some sleeping on the floor, while for hours waiting to be attended to.
Healthcare services in the Free State face a “ticking time bomb” regarding the conditions and the neglect of infrastructure maintenance. This is made evident by the Department of Labour continuing to issue prohibition orders to the Department of Health for its non-adherence to health and safety regulations in the work environment , risking the workers and the public.
The workers at two Bloemfontein hospitals, Pelonomi and National lament the mental distress to continue working in unpleasant conditions. This is in reference to both interior and exterior conditions at the two iconic health facilities in Bloemfontein. They say the unkempt building surroundings are a safety risk for both the workers and the patients. Natural vegetation, which include grass and trees dwarf buildings in the premises at both hospitals, National and Pelonomi in Bloemfontein.
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