A protest action by patients at the Pelonomi Hospital over delays in surgical procedures and other service delivery issues has raised the ire of the EFF in the Free State.
The party in a statement on Thursday, has slammed the provincial Health Department following reports that the situation at Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein, Mangaung region, has become worse with reports that patients have been protesting for days now.
According to media reports, the protests are due to delays in medical procedures at the hospital that last month saw scores of patients evacuated after a fire erupted at the hospital in Bloemfontein.
In a video footage circulated on social media, patients in crutches and wheelchairs are heard singing protest songs about their rights to health services.
The party in the province revealed that it has received with shock some of the tragic conditions at the hospital following a protest in which patients voiced their anger at the delays at the district hospital.
“The EFF have received with shock the tragic news of a protest outbreak by patients at Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein. Patients have been protesting for days now, because they have been awaiting operations for long and were promised to meet with the CFO, but the meeting never materialised.
“The state of the hospital is shocking and embarrassing and the minister of health, the MEC of health and officials in the department must bury their heads in shame for the cruel and inhumane conditions patients are subjected to daily,” said the party’s provincial chairperson, Maphuale Liphoko.
Liphoko and members of the party were due to visit the hospital on Thursday in a bid to assess the situation on the ground.
Liphoko said urgent measures must be taken to address the myriad of challenges facing the hospital following the protest by patients.
It was revealed that the conditions at the hospital are deplorable with shortages of linen and other resources.
“Urgent measures must be taken to address the systematic deficiencies, ensuring that all public hospitals meet proper safety standards, are adequately equipped and staffed, and prioritise the dignified treatment of patients.
“The conditions at the hospital paint a picture of inhumane treatment and gross neglect. Overcrowding, inadequate bedding, and patients forced to sleep on the floor due to resource shortages are troubling signs of systematic failures and a disregard for human rights within our healthcare system,” said Liphoko.
This is not the first time the hospital has caused controversy over its inhumane conditions.
In 2021, scores of patients were pictured sleeping on benches with others reportedly spending days without being attended to.
In 2019, a female doctor was forced to bite off a man’s tongue after the patient allegedly attempted to rape her while she was sleeping in one of the overnight staff quarters.
Attempts to get comment from Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Health, were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
The Star
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za