In a meeting between the Executive Mayor for Alfred Nzo District
Municipality, Vukile Mhlelembana, Winnie Madikizela Mandela Local
Municipality, Hospital Board Management from Oliver and Adelade Tambo Regional
Hospital and Technicians from both the Department of Health and the District
Municipality, Mhlelembana has given the technical team until April 26 to
resolve the water shortage issue in the Oliver and Adelade Tambo Regional
Hospital in Bizana.
According to the spokesperson for the municipality, Lixolile Petela,
this instruction came after reports that the hospital was unable to perform its day-to-day
operations due to water shortages.
He said it was established in the meeting
that these challenges posed serious threats to the provision of healthcare in
the facility and even the cleaning of laundry was relying on nearby hospitals
such as Greenville and Mount Ayliff hospitals.
“The Wild Coast Sun Resort has also extended a hand by providing its
private technical team to work with the technical team from the District
Municipality and the Hospital to speedy resolve whatever challenge that may
have caused the water shortage in the hospital,” said Petela. He added that in
the meantime, the District Municipality is assisting by providing water cartage
in order to ensure that water is running in the hospital.
According to Mhlelembana, it was very difficult to understand how the
hospital would go for weeks without water, while the rest of the town has clean
running water.
“Even though I am not a technician, it is very difficult for
me to understand how the technicians from both the District Municipality as a
water provision authority, and the Hospital itself were not able to resolve
whatever it was that caused this challenge,” said Mhlelembana.
He added that it
is obvious that water is running in the town and the Hospital is connected to
the same running and clean water. He said therefore, whatever challenge is
there, their technicians should be able to resolve it with speed
in order to save lives. He apologized to the public for this unfortunate
situation and promised that he would engage the MEC for Department of Health,
Nomakhosazana Meth so that a speedy and permanent resolve can be arrived at to
prevent this unfortunate incident from occurring in the future.
