Local News
FS Health: Grim picture painted by doctors─── 15:44 Fri, 27 Feb 2015
Bloemfontein - A report published today paints a grim picture of the state of Free State Health.
Doctors in Free State hospitals wrote devastating accounts, published on GroundUp, of what’s happening – telling stories of what can only be described as a department in crisis. Proper maintenance of hospitals are a major concern.
At Dihlabeng hospital the Fire Department was called in to assist carrying patients up and down stairs due to elevators not working – a seemingly regular problem in Free State hospitals.
A point also raised includes shortages of stocks to the extent that students are forced to buy their own consumables like syringes, needles and swabs.
Some of the best specialists in the province have resigned – with MEC Benny Malakoane only taking action after 20 did so.
Non- or partial payment of doctors are being reported, while very controversial management positions have been created – this as Free State Health is reportedly R800 million in the red.
Standards at once highly respected hospitals, such as Universitas, has been declining. The Bongani Hospital in Welkom allegedly risks losing its accreditation to employ and train interns should it not adhere to an ultimatum from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to meet minimum standards. More hospitals imminently face the same problem.
At Dihlabeng Hospital a total of four medical officers will remain in March, down from 20 in 2012. At the moment only emergency procedures are performed and numerous patients awaiting surgery are turned away. Many hospitals teeter on the brink of collapse, barely managing on minimal doctors and nursing staff.
This is the position that the majority of Free State hospitals are in.
You can read the full report title “The State of FS Health” on OFM.co.za
You can read the full report title “The State of FS Health” on OFM.co.za
MJ Lourens/OFM News
