The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that the video circulating on social media showing a patient sleeping on the floor, with trash lying around, was taken at Tembisa Hospital.
The department said that when the video was taken, the casualty ward was full, and the overflow area was used to relieve the pressure.
In the video, a man can be heard saying there is no doctor around.
This is a ward at the Tembisa Hospital. How is this allowed? Look at the poor conditions? @GautengHealth @Lesufi @NkomoNomantu @HealthZA @CyrilRamaphosa Viral video… pic.twitter.com/QX26ylYnmK
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) December 17, 2022
The health department said that the patients were moved back into wards when beds became available.
After her visit to the hospital, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said that demand at the hospital outweighed its capacity.
“When we arrived, indeed, those were the psychiatric patients that we received. There were about seventeen of them that were admitted and unfortunately, we didn’t have space for them.”
She added that the hospital is currently in the process of completing an admissions ward that will be used to decongest the casualty ward. Nkomo-Ralehoko said the situation at the hospital was seen out of context.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance says the best way to deal with capacity issues at Thembisa hospital is to re-open the Kempton Park hospital.
The party says the hospital does not only cater for the Thembisa community but people from places like Diepsloot as well.
The party’s Refiloe Ntsekhe says the old Kempton Park hospital could end the challenges in Tembisa hospital.
“So closing the hospital was very short-sighted. Now we have this hospital that has been closed for over 20 years. They should look at, even if they don’t have money, some kind of phase-in approach to say we will renovate one wing and next year the next wing.”
-EWN
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