Negligence Puts Lives at Risk…………

After several allegations surrounding the Nelson Mandela Bay Health system, the Health Department has not pulled up its socks. The Bay’s Health system has been accused of preventable deaths, Communities being left in the lurch by under resourced.

 A fourth year Nursing Student who remains to be anonymous, who had practised in three of the Public Hospitals, Dora Nginza, Livingston and Provincial. The fourth year student revealed the carelessness of the department of health. She emphasised on how it is difficult to work especially during the evening shift which is from four to seven o’clock in the morning because of the shortage of staff.

 She pointed out the high shortage of essential equipment like linen which is supposed to be changed twice a day. “The treatment of the patients differs from hospital to hospital, not all of the Public Hospitals can account for the negligence of one hospital”, she says.  Salaries don’t seem to be enough for the amount of work they do but the Department insisted on a 63% of their budget goes to salaries. Question is which salaries are these because there are not enough workers. Vuyokazi Sifatyi mother of Sipho Sifatyi age ten accompanied her son to do an eye test at the eye clinic at Provincial. Sifatyi was pleased with the service she received at the clinic even it was very slow. Sifatyi remarked on the unnecessary time spent at the hospital, “I woke up in the early hour of this morning and arrived here at the clinic at about 7am. I only received proper service only a full three hours after my arrival”, she says. Ms Sifatyi was not the only patient who complained about the time arrangement for the clinics at Provincial Hospital.

 A couple of pregnant women who remain to be anonymous say they are expected to arrive at the clinic at 7am sharp in the morning, anyone who arrives a minute later is turned back to go home. Patients are being turned away but you will find by two o’clock in the afternoon there is no staff left at the clinic.

This kind of behaviour is a total inconvenience for the community of Port Elizabeth. Questions come up in residents minds what if someone is in labour during the afternoon and there is no staff to assist. This shows the irresponsibility of Nelson Mandela Bay Public Hospitals, the negligence of the staff is putting many lives at risk.

The change can only start with us or things will never be right...............