Weskoppies Hospital uses only 600 out of 1067 commissioned beds due to staff shortages and the closure of unsafe buildings. This is despite the dire need for specialised treatment of psychiatric patients.
According to Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to my questions, there are 92 vacant posts, and 6 out of 31 wards are “temporarily closed.”
She says the impact of the staff shortage includes:
• Suboptimal care, treatment and rehabilitation and coverage in all the service delivery areas.
• Increased workload.
• Burn-out and fatigue.
• Overutilisation of overtime.
• Increased potential for patient safety
incidents.
Another consequence is that 178 of the 778 useable beds are not occupied.
This hospital in Pretoria was founded in 1892 and all the buildings are more than 70 years old. A heritage buildings assessment in 2018 recommended their replacement with new 300 beds buildings, but this was not implemented.
An Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) assessment in 2019 recommended 6 buildings for minor/major refurbishment and 4 for total demolition, but the project “was abandoned at the awarding stage due to reprioritisation of infrastructure projects and redefinition of OHS projects.”
Earlier this year, patients suffered from a shortage of clean linen as the laundry machines broke, and faulty cables led to power cuts.
The department says the broken infrastructure and machinery are prioritised for repair in the current financial year, and the critical funded vacant posts are also prioritised for filling.
Weskoppies‘ neglect is disgraceful. It shows that little has been learned from the Life Esidimeni tragedy where hundreds of mental patients were abused and 144 patients died after being sent to illegal NGOs.
The DA calls on the department to expand the number of useable beds at Weskoppies by filling all staff vacancies and fast-tracking repairs and new buildings.
A DA-run department would ensure that mental health gets adequate resources, with decent and safe wards for treatment.