Helen Joseph Hospital’s casualty department has been grossly overcrowded for two weeks while a fully equipped 24-bed ward is empty because of lack of staff.
This week there have been up to 45 patients sleeping in chairs or on the floor in the casualty as they are not able to be admitted to wards full of sick or injured patients.
In cases of gross overcrowding, ambulances should be diverted to other hospitals, but this rarely happens for Helen Joseph Hospital, which takes the brunt of winter illnesses and accident victims.
Meanwhile, the hospital is short of staff for an empty 24-bed ward that would take the pressure off casualty.
This is another example of the Gauteng Health Department’s poor management which leads to patients suffering in this neglected hospital which doesn’t even have a permanent CEO.
The Democratic Alliance will continue to push for critical health posts to be filled, which requires better management and a genuine crackdown on rampant corruption.