Free State Health Department Spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi says presently the trauma wing of the hospital is inundated and overwhelmed by the number of patients coming in not as a result of road carnages, but rather due to assaults, more specifically stab wounds.

The spike comes on the back of the lifting of curfew and easing of Covid-19 regulations in South Africa pertaining to the gathering of crowds on Thursday.

The department’s revelation comes on the back of anonymous complaints received by OFM News, that allege patients have been waiting for hours to receive medical attention, with some walking around the hospital in bloodied clothing.

As of 10:00 am this morning, we can confirm that some victims of these incidents are yet to receive medical attention, 24 hours, after arriving at that health facility for assistance. Mvambi says such violent incidents are a “nemesis to health care services” because they are man-made.

No comment is made on allegations that staff shortages have also contributed to this backlog in the trauma/casualty wing. “We appeal to the people of the Free State in particular Mangaung to desist from inflicting pain on each other because this will lead to high numbers of people that need unnecessary and preventable emergency care” concludes Mvambi.

On Thursday, 30 December 2021, the South African government lifted the midnight to 4 am curfew with immediate effect as the country passed the peak of the fourth wave. The office of the Presidency revealed that there was a 29,7% decrease in the number of cases detected during the festive week ending on Christmas Day as compared to the week before that.

OFM News