The Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto is grappling with a bed linen crisis that is leaving hundreds of patients without basic bedding necessities.
This was revealed by Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who said 860 beds at the hospital do not have a full set of linen.
In a written reply to the DA’s Jack Bloom in the Gauteng legislature, Nkomo-Ralehoko said each hospital bed should have at least five full sets of linen to ensure proper rotation: one on the bed, one in laundry, one in storage, one in transit, and one in contingency stock.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the linen included flat sheets, fitted sheets, blankets, pillowcases, counterpanes/bedcovers, and patient gowns or pyjamas. For Bara’s 2,888 beds, this means the hospital should ideally hold 14,440 items in each category.
“Instead, the hospital is operating with zero fitted sheets, just 1,272 pillowcases, 4,517 counterpanes, and 10,239 patient gowns, far below the required stock,” she said. “While the hospital has a surplus of flat sheets (14,902) and blankets (17,524), about 650 beds are made up with only one sheet due to rotation pressure and supply constraints.”
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the shortage was due to old and outdated laundry machines, delays in finalising bulk linen purchases, a high patient load that accelerates wear and tear, and the late washing of soiled items.
“Inadequate linen compromises the patient’s experience, especially for long-term and immobile patients, and causes delays in bed turnaround times and recovery processes,” she said.
Bloom said the situation was unacceptable and placed immense strain on nursing and cleaning staff, who are forced to manage bed turnaround times with inadequate supplies.
Inadequate linen compromises the patient’s experience, especially for long-term and immobile patients, and causes delays in bed turnaround times and recovery processes.
— MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko
“It should not take six months to buy more linen. The inability to fix this simple problem shows incredibly poor management,” he said, adding that the shortage posed serious risks to patients because Bara recorded 1,796 hospital-acquired infections out of 31,985 admissions last year.
The figure, Bloom argued, was worsened by inadequate hygiene standards linked to the linen crisis.
In July, employees at some hospitals in Gauteng, including Bara, revealed that overcrowding, staff shortages, lack of cleaning materials, and inconsistent infection control practices were some of the factors that could have contributed to the increase in hospital-acquired infections in the province last year.
At the time, Nkomo-Ralehoko said there had been an increase in hospital-acquired infections and that 7,743 patients out of 217,490 got infections in government hospitals in the province last year — a huge jump from the previous year’s 2,034.
The linen problem extends beyond Bara. The Dunswart provincial laundry, which services the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Tambo Memorial Hospital, Tembisa Hospital, 25 clinics, and the Gauteng Emergency Medical Services, is operating at only 75% capacity.
Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the facility was crippled by staff shortages and outdated machinery, having to process between 40,000 and 45,000 pieces of laundry a day.
“To mitigate these challenges,” he said, “the department previously used private laundry services to boost capacity during peak periods, particularly in instances where there are water shortages or equipment failures. This strategic decision highlights the commitment to ensure that patient care is sustained.”
The Dunswart and Masakhane laundries are earmarked for a R50m recapitalisation programme, funded by a national health grant in the 2025/26 financial year, to refurbish and replace old equipment.
While the department frames this as a long-term solution, Bloom insisted that urgent action was required now: “It should not take months of tender delays to provide something as basic as clean sheets for patients. This crisis reflects an alarming collapse in hospital management.”
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