The South African Medical Association (SAMA) reported in a statement on Sunday that the Orthopaedics unit at Ngwelezana Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal has been temporarily closed due to equipment breakdowns at. The breakdown of equipment has caused the closure the Orthopaedics unit at Ngwelezana Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. File Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
Durban – The South African Medical Association (Sama) says that the Orthopaedics unit at Ngwelezana Hospital in Empangeni, in KwaZulu-Natal has been temporarily closed due to equipment breakdowns.
Sama said that the closure impacts on an average 70 operations per week – including for trauma, spine conditions, arthroplasty, deformity correction, sepsis and paediatric orthopaedics.
Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, Sama chairperson said it was not only Orthopaedic equipment that has broken down at Ngwelezana Hospital (which is a tertiary hospital), but it was reported to the body that radiography equipment in theatre keeps breaking or has not been functioning since November 2022.
“The airconditioning (ac) in theatre is critical for many operations and it is reported that the AC is at most non-functional. The operating environment is dire with flies landing on open arthroplasty wounds due to non-functioning theatre doors.”
Mzukwa added that management has been consistently informed of equipment breakdowns and stock shortages with no resolution from them.
“It is an abhorrent environment for our members to continue to operate in. Our members were informed that this temporary situation is estimated to last until March/April 2023, however there is little hope that this will be the case”
Mzukwa said that the last Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) did not seem to recognise the importance of prioritising health-care funding.
“The lack of functional management at the public health-care facilities is robbing our people of a chance in life.
“It is Sama’s position that the public health-care system must be declared a state of emergency so that people’s lives can be saved.”
The KZN Health department said it would respond later today or tomorrow.
Related Topics: