KWA-MHLANGA – Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Collen Sedibe, came gun blazing after being alerted of patients and pregnant women sharing beds amid the Covid-19 pandemic in KwaMhlanga hospital.
“It’s a disgrace that the Covid-19 regulations are not followed at KwaMhlanga hospital and it’s putting lives of our people in danger,” Sedibe lashed out. “It’s so disappointing and disgusting that the ANC government is not taking the lives of our people very seriously. Social distancing should be the order of the day everywhere including in hospitals amid this deadly coronavirus,” he said.
A 32-year-old pregnant woman in KwaMhlanga hospital echoed Sedibe’s words. “I am sharing my bed with another woman. There is no social distancing and I am afraid I might get infected with the virus,” she said. She added that she was unable to understand why the hospital admitted them while knowing full well that there were insufficient beds in the hospital. “The winter is here and most us are sleeping on the floor,” she lamented.
Health spokesperson, Dumisane Malamule, confirmed that there was shortage of beds in the maternity wards. “The hospital is almost at its full capacity and all maternity patients are located with the available beds,” Malamule said.
Malamule urged that women with pregnancies should use the local Community Health Centres (CHC) in the meantime as the department is battling the coronavirus which is spreading like wild fire. “Most patients bypass the local Community Health Centres in preference of hospital service. We humbly appeal to our communities to use these CHCs because they (centres) have qualified midwives,” he said.
