By BONGANI FUZILE
Butterworth Hospital had only two medical doctors to treat more than 200 patients at the weekend, some suffering injuries from car accidents or violent crime.
The critical shortage resulted in a number of patients having to wait for hours.
The allegations were made to the Daily Dispatch by a senior staff member and a number of patients and visitors who were at the hospital at the weekend.
The senior hospital official described the situation at the health facility as “dire” and said many patients were not attended to, while others needed special emergency attention.
“The situation is bad in this hospital. We are short-staffed and over weekends we get a number of patients from areas such as Ngqamakhwe, Centane and at times from Dutywa who are transferred to this hospital,” said the staffer, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.
“There were only two doctors who attended to the patients . We need more doctors and other senior staff here.”
However, department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana disputed this and said there were four medical doctors on duty on Saturday – two in casualty and “two covering maternity and other wards”.
Manana said the hospital had seven full-time medical officers.
“We have four community service doctors, two sessional doctors and one clinical manager.”
He said 115 patients had been seen in casualty.
A Daily Dispatch team that visited the hospital yesterday, was told a different story by patients.
“You are hardly attended to by a doctor in this hospital,” said Mala-wu Jimi, from Centane.
“My brother was here on Friday night and he was only attended to late on Saturday .”
NoRawutini Mbholo from Ngqamakhwe said she had come to see her granddaughter.
“She’s been here since the weekend but she’s not been attended to. She was told that there are no doctors,” Mbholo said.
No-Answer Tyam of Qeqe Village said she would end up sleeping at the hospital.
“It’s lunch time and I haven’t been attended to,” Tyam said.
“I will sleep here because we are told that there are no doctors.”
Another patient, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “We are being attended to by student doctors who clearly don’t know what they are doing. I’ve been sent from corner to corner without getting help from a doctor.”
Many patients told the Dispatch team they slept on the floor as they wanted to be at the front of the queue the following day.
They alleged that “days” could pass without seeing a doctor.
But Manana said the issue of patients sleeping over was not the fault of the hospital.
“The challenge we are facing is that the people sleep in the hospital after being left by taxis,” he said.
The health spokesman said a new chief executive officer for the facility had recently been appointed.
However, the senior hospital official accused the provincial department of health of doing “little” to sort out matters at rural hospitals.
“Rural health always lags behind in the Eastern Cape. Things like this lead to litigation, which costs this same department billions of rands.” — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Only two doctors for 200 patients
Butterworth Hospital had only two medical doctors to treat more than 200 patients at the weekend, some suffering injuries from car accidents or violent crime.
The critical shortage resulted in a number of patients having to wait for hours.
The allegations were made to the Daily Dispatch by a senior staff member and a number of patients and visitors who were at the hospital at the weekend.
The senior hospital official described the situation at the health facility as “dire” and said many patients were not attended to, while others needed special emergency attention.
“The situation is bad in this hospital. We are short-staffed and over weekends we get a number of patients from areas such as Ngqamakhwe, Centane and at times from Dutywa who are transferred to this hospital,” said the staffer, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.
“There were only two doctors who attended to the patients . We need more doctors and other senior staff here.”
However, department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana disputed this and said there were four medical doctors on duty on Saturday – two in casualty and “two covering maternity and other wards”.
Manana said the hospital had seven full-time medical officers.
“We have four community service doctors, two sessional doctors and one clinical manager.”
He said 115 patients had been seen in casualty.
A Daily Dispatch team that visited the hospital yesterday, was told a different story by patients.
“You are hardly attended to by a doctor in this hospital,” said Mala-wu Jimi, from Centane.
“My brother was here on Friday night and he was only attended to late on Saturday .”
NoRawutini Mbholo from Ngqamakhwe said she had come to see her granddaughter.
“She’s been here since the weekend but she’s not been attended to. She was told that there are no doctors,” Mbholo said.
No-Answer Tyam of Qeqe Village said she would end up sleeping at the hospital.
“It’s lunch time and I haven’t been attended to,” Tyam said.
“I will sleep here because we are told that there are no doctors.”
Another patient, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “We are being attended to by student doctors who clearly don’t know what they are doing. I’ve been sent from corner to corner without getting help from a doctor.”
Many patients told the Dispatch team they slept on the floor as they wanted to be at the front of the queue the following day.
They alleged that “days” could pass without seeing a doctor.
But Manana said the issue of patients sleeping over was not the fault of the hospital.
“The challenge we are facing is that the people sleep in the hospital after being left by taxis,” he said.
The health spokesman said a new chief executive officer for the facility had recently been appointed.
However, the senior hospital official accused the provincial department of health of doing “little” to sort out matters at rural hospitals.
“Rural health always lags behind in the Eastern Cape. Things like this lead to litigation, which costs this same department billions of rands.” — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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