Patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital have corroborated media reports that the hospital is experiencing heaps and piles of dirty linen.
The hospital's laundry woes came into light last month after reports of the media stating that there has been an ongoing shortage of clean linen crises in some wards due to malfunctioning equipment.
A patient who spoke conditionally on anonymity confirmed there that there has been an absence of clean linen.
The 28-year-old male patient said he has not seen any laundry collection in the two weeks he was admitted. The patient emphasised that they are compelled to use dirty linen as pyjamas.
This ongoing problem has since drove two patients evading the hospital's premises.
"Ever since I arrived here, we are struggling with clean bed linen; I have not seen any worker either collecting or coming to bring new linens for our beds. I have not seen fokol (nothing)," he said.
A 29-year-old male patient said while his ward has not encountered laundry, he spotted some staff members transporting soiled and bloody linen to the hospital's laundry section.
An anonymous registered nurse (RN) at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) insisted that the laundry shortage at Chris Hani has been an pending crises for the past two years.
She witnessed lack of clean linen at the hospital when she was required to work at the medical institution after CMJAH was caught in a blaze of fire in 2022.
The nursing sister is a permanent staff member at CMJAH in Parktown.
"At the time I worked there during the pandemic, I saw there was a shortage of linen. I saw how patients used torn and old blankets, including the linen at the time " she said.
The nurse claimed blankets at CHBAH were not labelled to indicate that they are hospital properties unlike other academic hospitals.
She reiterated that during her occupancy at CHBAH, patients would often use their clothes as pyjamas, despite the hospital’s obligation to provide patient care services.
“Patients’ families were forced to bring pyjamas for their relatives, while it is the hospital’s duty to provide these services. What about patient’s who live on the streets, the destitute?,” she said.
The RN further decried that the hospital lacked linen saver for patient care.
The Gauteng Health Department has appointed a service provider to address the pending matter.
The department’s spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said a plan has been put in place to ensure soiled linen could be replaced by December 13.
He said two 5-ton trucks have already delivered clean linen at the weekend.
“As previously alluded to, the facility’s laundry has ageing infrastructure which requires an overhaul. In the meantime, a service provider has been appointed to carry out repairs on the laundry equipment to restore full functionality as quickly as possible,” said Modiba.
The Hospital’s soiled laundry is currently being laundered at Dunswart Provincial Laundry on a daily basis to ensure a consistent supply of clean linen to patients.
Modiba stated three tunnel washers are out of service, while five driers are operating in tunnel washer number two. However, only one out of four ironers were successfully repaired.
“A total of 106 staff members are deployed at the laundry to boost the operation during the day and night shifts. Additionally, external two laundry service providers have also been appointed to further support these efforts,” said Modiba.
The DA’s shadow health MEC in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, lamented that linen shortage would insidiously affect patients’ health.
“The infection risk is increasing, and relatives are bringing clean sheets for patients in the wards. It is surely not difficult to fix a laundry, and private laundries can be used to assist with this dirty linen crisis,” said Bloom.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa’s branch (Denosa) at Wits Central slammed the hospital for poor infection control amid linen shortage.
“For nursing and many other healthcare professionals, cleanliness in a facility is one of the key contributory factors to better infection control measures.
“Denosa in the City is worried that this mishap has already affected the way the patients are cared for negatively, which is not assisting in their recovery management programmes in the facility,” said the organisation.
It expressed concerns that the hospital’s medical staff is now subject to the anger of patients’ relatives.
“What concernes DENOSA greatly is that nurses are facing the anger and aggressive behaviour of the patients’ relatives when they see the state of filth their relatives are in, which is a matter that is outside the control of the nursing staff,” said Denosa.
The nursing organisation noted it has reported the matter to the hospital’s management.
It also urged for Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to speedily resolve the problem.
The Star