Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Dr Jack Bloom MPL.
Patients at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) are going hungry as the provincial-run cook freeze factory has been closed for failing food safety standards.
I discovered this yesterday (Tuesday 18 November) when I visited the hospital after receiving complaints about poor food.
The hospital kitchen can provide breakfast and supper, but they are not getting plated food for lunch from the Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory in Tshwane as city inspectors ordered it closed after tests showed E. Coli bacteria in their food.
Yesterday, patients only got a slice of bread with margarine and cheese for lunch (see photo here). Usually, they would get a nutritious meal of meat, vegetables, and a starch.
A nurse told me the lunch problem started last week, and relatives are bringing in food for patients.
The Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory is in Tshwane and used to serve 8000 plates a day to 6 hospitals and 17 Community Health Centres in Gauteng. Affected facilities include the Jubilee, Odi, Tshwane District, Bronkhorstspruit, and Lenasia District hospitals.
It is shameful that a provincial food facility is closed because of contaminated food. This is due to poor management and underinvestment in new machinery.
A DA-led administration would ensure that nutritious food is always served to patients by using reliable food contracts and maintaining hygienic standards in food facilities.