HUMANSDORP – In just one week, Humansdorp Hospital in the Eastern Cape has come under fire yet again with allegations of patients sleeping on floors and waiting days for medical attention due to critical staff shortages and overcrowding.
As previously reported on 11 September, a seriously ill patient from Jeffreys Bay outlined her harrowing ordeal at Humansdorp Hospital, where patients were allegedly left unattended for hours after medical staff fled from a violent, mentally ill patient.
More recently, Xolani Woni, a Humansdorp resident who visited his critically ill uncle at the hospital earlier this month, described shocking conditions that highlight the facility’s struggles to serve the broader Kouga region.
He said that during his visits, he noticed that the hospital was filled with sick people in the waiting area, with some allegedly waiting for an entire week to receive assistance.
Additionally, Woni said that he saw patients sleeping in chairs and on the floor while they waited.
He said that his uncle was transferred from Livingston Hospital in Gqeberha to Humansdorp Hospital on 1 September, but waited until 3 September to secure a bed.
“After waiting for two days for a bed, my uncle finally received a bed, which was positioned in a passage in the casualty department because the wards were full,” said Woni.
“The room that he was placed in a few days later was small and cold with no ceiling.”
Woni said that during his visits, he witnessed an elderly woman who had been sitting in pain in the waiting area for three days.
He also observed alleged security lapses, including a patient wandering in the grounds with a drip, with the patient indicating that they were returning from the nearby store.
Woni said that the alleged shortage of staff extends beyond medical staff to support personnel.
“When I visited the hospital on 4 September, I had to help a nurse put a patient in a wheelchair, who was going to the bathroom. I believe that is a job meant for a porter, but the porter was apparently assisting elsewhere,” said Woni.
Woni expressed sympathy for the hospital staff working under impossible conditions, with allegations of only two doctors working per shift.
He further directed his criticism towards the Department of Health.
“How is it possible for two doctors to help all the people from the entire Kouga region?” said Woni.
“I don’t blame the staff, I blame the Department of Health for all that is happening in our hospital.”
The Eastern Cape Department of Health was approached for comment on 10 September, but no response was received by the time of publication.
