Patients at the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto are still sleeping on plastic two months after I exposed the laundry crisis there.
I was astonished to discover this after receiving more complaints from people the hospital.
See photos here, here, here, and here.
Patients bring their own blankets to keep warm, and the infection risk is increased.
The problem is that most of their linen was damaged when stored in large piles because the laundry machines to clean them were broken at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Recently, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko claimed there were no linen shortages at any Gauteng public hospital. This is clearly not the case as I get complaints about the lack of clean laundry at other hospitals as well.
Persistent laundry shortages are a symptom of the general breakdown in this department.
A DA-run administration would get the basics right and ensure that patients don’t suffer such awful indignity.