Public Protector Thuli Madonsela paid an unannounced visit to Edendale Hospital and found patients generally satisfied.
|||Durban - Public Protector Thuli Madonsela paid an unannounced visit to Pietermaritzburg’s Edendale Hospital on Tuesday and found patients largely satisfied, but that staff shortages and accessibility to ambulances were problems.
Soon after arriving at the casualty section, Madonsela embarked with her team on a walkabout, during which she spoke to patients.
Patients told her they had experienced congestion at the hospital, long queues for medication and inadequate hygiene at the hospital. Others complained about the bad attitude of hospital staff, who were overworked and treated the elderly and poor “rudely and abruptly”.
Madonsela was particularly concerned about complaints that ambulances took too long to respond to emergency calls, leading to deaths in some cases.
“This is a major issue that needs to be addressed.”
A doctor who had been at the hospital for 11 years said it was important to attract doctors to the province. He said doctors who left for other provinces received better pay.
After her visit to the hospital, Madonsela made her way to the city hall, where she addressed members of the public and listened to concerns about the shortage of housing in Pietermaritzburg and its surrounds as well as about health care and social grants.
Some of the concerns raised at the public forum meeting included the political “crisis” in Richmond. The town’s mayor, Andrew Ragavaloo, and senior councillors are under attack by opposing forces, which has led to service delivery in the area being neglected.
Another issue raised was the rise in the incidence of rape of elderly women in the Midlands over the past year.
Daily News