THE historical uMlazi-based Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital has not been spared from the long-running water crisis that has besieged the eThekwini Municipality, and has now placed the lives of ailing patients in danger.

The 1200-bed hospital has gone three weeks without running water, forcing the management to implement temporary solutions, including using Jojo Tanks as water sources.

Aggrieved employees downed tools on Monday morning, calling on the provincial Department of Health, led by MEC Nomagugu Simelane, to remedy the situation.

According to employees, conditions within the hospital have deteriorated, with healthcare professionals revealing that some wards are plagued by flies and the levels of hygiene has dipped to worrying levels because cleaning exercises cannot conducted effectively enough.

An employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lashed out the provincial government for “turning a blind eye” on the crisis at hospital.

“This is wrong, and we will not fold our arms anymore. This is a violation of human rights. All the patients in the hospital are suffering because the government has ignored the ongoing crisis, it is unacceptable,” said the worker.

Contrary to the claims that the water crisis began three weeks ago, the employee told the Daily News that they have been grappling with water outages for over a year.

The 45-year-old public hospital servicing areas such as uMlazi, Isipingo, Folweni, KwaMakhutha and Amanzimtoti is one of the biggest in the country.

A nurse with 15 years of service at the hospital lamented, “Water is central to any organisation. Without water it becomes difficult to operate optimally. The MEC and department officials need to come here and face the patients and tell them why there is no water. This environment is demoralising.”

“There are flies in some wards. We can’t blame the cleaners because we know there is a lack of water,” said the nurse.

The dire situation has garnered support from unions, with Ayanda Zulu, the provincial secretary for the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU), demanding an urgent meeting with MEC Simelane.

“We stand fully behind the workers who protested at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital. The working conditions there are dire due to the lack of water, which is essential in a hospital environment,” he said.

Zulu urged the government to act swiftly in resolving the issue.

Chairperson of the Trading Services Committee, IFP Councillor Mdu Nkosi, said the problem appeared to be on the hospital’s side.

“The problem appears to be on the side of the hospital. We have changed our reservoir, and it is full. But be that as it may, the matter needs to be resolved speedily, because we are talking about people’s lives here,” said Nkosi.

He said it was the people’s constitutional right to have access to clean water.

Amid the water setbacks in the city, Nkosi alleged acts of sabotage had been perpetrated and told the Daily News that he would be asking the national government to intervene.

“If you look at the patterns of how things have been happening here, one is compelled to think that there is sabotage. We will ask the national government for intelligence so that we can get to the crux of this matter,” said Nkosi.

Dr Imran Keeka, the DA spokesperson on health, said: “The rotten coalition running eThekwini continues with its disservice to its residents, especially in its provision of water.”

He added: “They could care less that a hospital does not have water for weeks on end. While we are aware that the MEC for Health has started interaction with this rotten coalition.”

As the situation continues to unfold, uMngeni-uThukela Water, the body responsible for water supply in eThekwini and other regions, is set to present its annual financial report on Thursday in Durban.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the spokesperson of the health department, Ntokozo Maphisa said: “As the department, we are aware of an ongoing water supply challenge affecting Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, along with several sections of the uMlazi township in south Durban since Sunday, February 2.”

Maphisa passed the blame back to the municipality and said the provision of water in the hospital was the responsibility of the municipality; they (DoH) had undertaken measures to mitigate the impact of this challenge.

“The Department wishes to emphasise that the situation was reported promptly to the eThekwini Municipality, and we continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders to address the challenges caused by this disruption,” he said.

Gugu Sisilana, eThekwini municipality spokesperson, said: “The eThekwini Municipality is treating with utmost priority the water supply challenge affecting several areas in the city, including the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. The city has experienced an increase in water demand since the commencement of the summer season, which resulted in low pressure and no water supply in critical points across supply systems.”

She added: “As part of concerted efforts to speedily remedy the situation, we can confirm that water started flowing at the hospital momentarily earlier today, however, interventions to stabilise their system are not complete yet. A municipal operations team is on-site and will continue to monitor the supply to the hospital and surrounding areas while investigating other factors.”

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