Bloom claims overcrowding at Edenvale Hospital
JOBURG – Jack Bloom of the DA claims "gross overcrowding" at the Edenvale General Hospital.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom claimed the maternity ward at the Edenvale Hospital, which takes most of its patients from Alexandra, is ‘grossly overcrowded’.
Bloom said this was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a written reply to his questions in the Gauteng Legislature. In her reply, Mahlangu is said to have indicated that bed occupancy in the maternity ward was higher than 100 per cent in six of the nine months from January to September this year, with occupancy as high as 130 per cent in July.
Read: Gauteng Health slammed for ill treating health workers
The paediatric and orthopaedic wards have also experienced more than 100 per cent bed occupancy in some months of this year. Bloom said patients wait for up to two hours in the outpatient department, one hour in casualty and 100 minutes in the pharmacy.
But Mahlangu said she has put measures in place to curb the long waiting times for patients, which included the implementation of an appointment system for all disciplines, including repeat medication.
Read: Improvement plans for child malnutrition deaths
Other measures include drawing files for patients with appointments the day before their appointment, giving priority to vulnerable patients, and the implementation of the triage system to fast track emergency patients. The hospital has only 22 vacancies (3.2 per cent) out of a total of 695 staff.
Bloom said the main problem at this hospital was a shortage of beds, adding that extra wards were needed and should be built as soon as possible to alleviate the long queues currently being experienced.
