By Kaya 959 Reporter
Linen shortages have disrupted surgeries at several public hospitals in Gauteng this year.
According to Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi, this has led to infection risks and the cancellation of about 325 operations.
Mokgethi made the revelation in a written reply to the DA’s questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to Mokgethi, at least nine hospitals, including Dr. George Mukhari and Helen Joseph, have been affected.
She says Mamelodi Regional Hospital was the worst affected. Staff had to cancel about 200 operations when linen shortages persisted for two weeks.
“At Sebokeng Hospital, 80 cataract operations were cancelled, Jubilee Hospital cancelled 18 operations, 15 operations were cancelled at Helen Joseph Hospital, nine ops at George Mukhari Hospital and three ops at Leratong Hospital,” she adds.
The MEC says Chris Hani Baragwanath and Charlotte Maxeke hospitals also suffered some linen shortages. However, she says they had backup plans and were able to avoid cancelling surgeries.
ALSO READ: Staff claim increase in car theft at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
Shortages due to machine breakdowns and inefficiency
DA spokesperson on Health, Jack Bloom, says it is traumatic for surgeons and staff to have to cancel operations. He says some patients may have waited for years.
“….waiting lists are very long, especially for hip and knee cases,” he says.
Bloom says most of the linen shortages are because of machine breakdowns and inefficiency at Dunswart Laundry on the East Rand, and the Masakhane Laundry in Roslyn in Tshwane.
The two-state laundries supply public hospitals with linen.
He says some hospitals, including Mamelodi, George Mukhari and Charlotte Maxeke, have used private laundries to assist with the shortages.
Other hospitals, Bloom says, feel obliged to only use the state laundries despite their failures.
“Sebokeng Hospital has now opted for an in-house laundry service and Far East Rand Hospital has used disaster stock and even borrowed from other hospitals.”
According to Bloom, the laundries run by the Gauteng Health Department are notorious for inefficiencies and high costs. He says it is tragic that surgery is disrupted because of linen shortages which are easily avoidable with good management.
“There is really no reason why the provincial government has to run laundries when there are many private laundries that can do a better job at lower cost,” Bloom says.
He says the state laundries should either be fixed rapidly or phased out in favour of private laundries so that linen shortages never again cause problems for hospitals.
ALSO READ: R2.6bn paid for Gauteng hospital security contracts that expired 5 years ago
