Dr. Joe Phaahla, the minister of health, has disclosed that seven hospital fires occurred between May and August 2022.
This was in answer to a Democratic Alliance parliamentary query.
In response, Phaahla said that since January 2020, 17 hospitals nationwide had suffered fires. While many of these fires were promptly put out with little or no damage, they serve as a reminder of the deteriorating infrastructure and lack of upkeep in our healthcare institutions.
Two patients perished in a fire that began in the Covid-19 ward at FH Odendaal Hospital in Modimolle in May 2021. One of the patients was a prisoner who was shackled to his bed. Nurses were unable to remove the bed from his cramped room, and they were unable to locate the guard who might have unlocked the prisoner’s shackles. The majority of the ward was badly damaged and devastated by fire.
In a fire at Carletonville Hospital in Johannesburg, medical supplies and PPE were destroyed. Other medical supplies that had been there since April 2020 and were believed to be worth more than R23 million, including an X-ray unit, blankets, sheets, vital sign monitors, and medical tools, were also destroyed in the event.
In April 2021, the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital sustained significant damage to its physical plant and its supply of medical supplies. Millions of rands are spent on repairs and loss recovery.
Lindy Wilson, the DA’s shadow deputy for health, said that the government hasn’t done anything to solve South Africa’s deteriorating health care system, infrastructure collapse, and lack of maintenance.