The multi-million-rand state of the art Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Mbizana in the Eastern Cape appears to be on the verge of collapse.  

Some patients have been turned away, and others referred to the nearest health facility. Some were seen using their own linen.  

The hospital faces challenges including water scarcity, broken laundry machines, shortages of staff and poor management.  

There are also no backup generators amid high levels of load shedding.  

The Hospital’s Organised Labour Chairperson, Zwelidumile Dobe explains:

“We are not able to wash the linen in the laundry because of the non-availability of water and broken machines from the laundry. These have been escalated to the district and province. We are working under very bad conditions where wards are filled up with dirty linen, and with all the things that can dirty the linen, blood, linen from the theatre, linen from the maternity, it is flooded all over the hospital now, in the wards. It is not being attended to.” 

The Health Department has refuted claims that patients are turned away but admits that they are referred to other hospitals.  

The provincial Health spokesperson, Yonela Dekeda, says, “We want to reassure the public that Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Hospital is functional and the department is not turning patients away. But we are transferring those that require admission at this time to nearby facilities as a precautionary measure whilst we deal with the pressure of the municipality’s water supply. The hospital’s two laundry machines have not been functional as the parts for repairs were not available. We are awaiting delivery of a brand new of laundry machine this Friday. The facility can now continue with their own in-house laundry service.” 

Oliver & Adelaide Regional Hospital on the verge of collapse: