Patients at two Gauteng hospitals have been forced to endure cold showers and prepackaged meals for a week after a gas supplier halted services due to an unpaid debt of R14m by the province.
Egoli Gas cut off services to Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Coronationville, west of Johannesburg, and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital causing disruptions at the two facilities last week.
Gas is usually used by hospitals for heating water for patients, cooking and sterilisation of surgical instruments, according to the Gauteng health department.
The department's financial woes were laid bare during a presentation at the legislature's health committee meeting last week, which revealed that its deficit had ballooned from R4.8bn to R7.3bn in the past three months. This accounts for 11.23% of the total R65bn budget, with some debts to suppliers dating as far back as 2012.
A patient at Charlotte Maxeke, Stephan Gwenhi, told Sowetan that for the past week they were being fed cornflakes and bread for breakfast instead of the usual cooked porridge because there was no gas to prepare the food.
"We have been eating our bread without tea or coffee. We have been having the same meal, prepacked fish and rice for lunch and dinner. On top of that we have to bath with cold water," said Gwenhi, who has been hospitalised for three weeks.
The department played down the impact on services at the two hospitals yesterday, claiming that operations "had been impacted but not halted".
At Charlotte Maxeke the cut-off has only affected the domestic hot water supply to the hospital and the sterilisation of medical equipment.
— Motalatale Modiba
"The facility’s kitchen [Rahima Moosa] is operating with gas cylinders to mitigate the absence of central gas supply," said department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
An employee at the hospital's kitchen said it took them longer to prepare food for patients as they have to use an electric stove instead of a bulk food steam oven.
"We cook for a lot of people and when we use pots we have to cook in small portions and that delays serving patients by just over an hour. I don't know anything about gas cylinders and the hospital has not explained why we do not have gas," said the worker.
A patient who was discharged yesterday after giving birth at the hospital last week said there was no hot water.
Another patient who had heart surgery at Charlotte Maxeke on Friday said although the theatre was clean, food and cold water were a problem.
"The food was horrible and I could not eat. I've been relying on my wife to bring me food every day of my stay here," said the 62-year-old man.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and his MECs are expected to give an update to President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet on Thursday about plans to improve service delivery in the province.
Modiba said the matter of Egoli Gas was receiving the necessary attention to address the "contractual disputes" which he did not want to explain.
"At Charlotte Maxeke the cut-off has only affected the domestic hot water supply to the hospital and the sterilisation of medical equipment. However, the hospital continues to operate as normal. In the main, the hospital will supply quick freeze food to patients and use nearby facilities to sterilise medical equipment," said Modiba.
He said the department is investigating the use of alternatives such as biofuel.
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