HOSPERSA SHOCKED BY WATERLOGGED FILE ROOM AT CHARLOTTE MAXEKE HOSPITAL

Hospersa is shocked by reports that patients’ medical files at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital are being stored in room drenched with water due to a burst pipe. The reports come just after a year when the hospital’s roof caved in, trapping five people under the rubble. The Union calls upon the Chief Inspector of the Department of Labour (DoL) to act firm against institutions found to be violating Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policies.

This morning news broke that patients’ medical files are being stored in a room with leaking pipes at one of Johannesburg’s busiest hospitals, Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. A video of what looks like a medical records’ room was shared on social media by a news agency and has caused a stir as piles of files lie in a pool of water caused by a dripping pipe burst. It was in March 2017 that the very same hospital had a roof cave in at the main entrance area allegedly due to shoddy construction work undertaken to repair water leaks. Five people were trapped under the rubble and it seems that the investigation into the collapse did not bare any fruit into rectifying the safety issues at the hospital.

“Based on the video, we are concerned about the poor state of which patients files are being kept,” said Hospersa manager dealing with OHS, Fazeela Fayers. “We also wonder if there is a back up system in place to ensure patients personal information is not lost as a result of this burst pipe. We are equally concerned about our members’ safety at this hospital seeing that incidents like this seem to be a frequent occurrence due to the faulty pipe system in place,” added Fayers.

“The problem of OHS violations in the health sector is extreme – it is a national problem, and there are daily compromises to the safety of the workforce, patients and the public,” said Fayers. “Dilapidated buildings with burst water pipes and collapsed ceilings have become the face of public health facilities. The working conditions of our members in the delivery of health care service is deplorable and this must be addressed urgently,” added Fayers.

“We demand that the DoL acts firm against institutions found to be contravening OHS policies and putting their employees’ lives in danger. Gross OHS violations should be given the urgent attention it deserves and not be treated as a water under the bridge phenomenon when cases get reported,” concluded Fayers.