Cofimvaba hospital near Umtata is in financial crisis, with patients being fed mostly on dry rice and eggs and staff often arriving at work drunk, an investigation by the provincial health portfolio committee has found.
Committee chairperson Mzukisi Mpahlwa said the hospital would run out of money within a month.
A serious lack of management had left the hospital in the financial doldrums, a report compiled by the committee found.
”There is a problem of food for patients, they are fed with dry rice and boiled eggs most of the time. There is also a shortage of linen and blankets,” the report stated.
Mpahlwa called on Health MEC Bevan Goqwana to intervene urgently.
The committee visited the hospital earlier this month after receiving a memorandum complaining about irregular appointments, a lack of capacity to deal with finances, a shortage of funds, misuse of government vehicles and unsound labour relations.
The memorandum had been sent to the committee after the hospital failed to get a satisfactory response from the department and the MEC.
The report disclosed that the situation at the hospital had traumatised the staff and that there was a need for reconciliation to rebuild trust among the staff.
”There is a serious lack of cooperation and insubordination among staff and management. There is a complete breakdown of discipline,” the report said.
Some staff arrived late for work and left early, some arrived at work drunk and others were ”long-term absentees”.
Provincial health department spokesperson Mzukisi Ndara said the report had been noted.
”We have has been accorded seven working days to respond substantively to the report. There is a task team in place that is interrogating this matter looking at all the issues that have been tabled.
”In a nutshell we are handling the matter and giving it the urgency that it deserves, more especially in the light of our obligation to adhere to legislative procedures and our mandate to provide qualitative health service to our people,” he said. – Sapa