Free State residents will also be keen to find out from Tsiu what the department will do to curb persistent staff shortages and the pressing issue of safety at health facilities. OFM News reports on how these issues intersect and eventually affect staff and patients on the ground.

In early June, a Pelonomi Hospital medical intern bit off the tongue of a would-be rapist and former patient after he managed to breach hospital perimeters, despite being discharged and ended up in the doctor’s quarters. It is reported there was a security gate leading into the overnight rooms, but it had not been operational at the time of the incident. The attempted robbery of a doctor at the hospital’s parking lot later that same week resulted in the University of the Free State (UFS) suspending training at the hospital temporarily, and later resuming training following hospital management’s promises to beef up security.

What was not addressed is the fact that the security gate, which can only be opened using a pin, was broken and allegedly not fixed as a matter of urgency when the incident occurred. This brings up the issue of ailing infrastructure at local hospitals and the length of time it takes to fix broken ceilings, gates, taps, and pipes.

This can be seen at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein

Staff members have taken their concerns to their respective labour unions over leaking taps, the lack of hot water in certain wards over the winter period, particularly the maternity and children’s wards. There are ceilings that are on the verge of falling apart as well as broken pipes in toilets, slush rooms, as is illustrated in pictures taken by OFM News, when visiting the hospital. Cleaning staff in the paediatric ward are forced to use multiple blankets to contain the leakages, despite contractors present at the hospital appearing to attend to some of the work.

When probed on the issues and current state of contractors, department spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi tells OFM News, Tsiu will elaborate on those matters, after she has tabled the department’s budget.

The Health Department, which receives the second biggest chunk of the provincial budget, came out of administration in early 2018. The then Free State Finance MEC, Elzabe Rockman, announced this development when she tabled her budget.

OFM News