According to a press statement released by the provincial government, Ntombela has so far visited Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital in Qwa-Qwa, the National Hospital in Bloemfontein and the Mangaung Fleet Management offices.

At Manapo Hospital, Ntombela - accompanied by the Health MEC, Montsheng Tsiu - found the nurses’ home to be in a dire state, which necessitated that the students had to be moved to an alternative accommodation.

“What we saw at the hospital was a disgrace to say the least. It was a shame that a facility could reach that stage of decay when there are funds meant to address such challenges,” the statement reads.

Work would immediately start to attend to some of the challenges, to guarantee the safety of both workers and patients as well as to ensure the cleanliness of the facility.

Sewer blockages will be attended to as a matter of urgency. Construction will begin on Tuesday, 29 March.

Ntombela was impressed with how the construction at National Hospital is going, as the pharmacy in the hospital has been finished and handed over. Currently construction is underway, with the refurbishment of the mortuary, doctors’ quarters and the kitchen. The mortuary is expected to be completed by end of May this year.

However, Ntombela was not very impressed with the state of the Mangaung Fleet Management offices, together with the fleet of the municipality. She will engage with the relevant stakeholders for a solution.

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It seems Ntombela’s Operation Thoso has yet to pay a visit to the province’s foremost trauma hospital, the Pelonomi Hospital.

Tthe hospital’s maternity ward is currently under construction and it is expected to be completed by the end of the 2023/24 financial year. The ward was flooded earlier this year due to leaking pipes. Health Minister, Joe Phaahla previously revealed the contractor who was supposed to complete the ward had “terminated” his agreement with the hospital while the ward was only 40% complete. In addition, the incomplete ward has been blamed for the ongoing shortage of beds at the facility as there were only four theatre beds being shared between the surgical and maternity wards.

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It is still unclear if the sewage spillages that the workers at the hospital were concerned about has been taken care of.

OFM News