The Gauteng Department of Health has admitted to a “frequent breakdown of laundry machinery” but says R50m has been allocated to deal with the issue, and that it is currently assessing which equipment and machines need to be replaced and repaired.
Patients at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto were recently forced to lie on plastic sheeting and told to supply their own blankets, according to provincial legislature member Jack Bloom, while six months ago, growing mounds of dirty laundry were seen piling up at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
The department said there was “a backlog due to machinery breakdown challenges” at Bheki Mlangeni, which has to rely on laundry services from Bara, reports TimesLIVE.
The provincial Dunswart Laundries in Boksburg had to be co-opted in to help with backlogs, while other temporary outsource options are being considered.
MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the province has received R100m from the National Department of Health for the 2025/26 financial year to support its recapitalisation programme which aims to refurbish and replace outdated critical equipment and machinery in hospitals.
“Of this money, R50m is specifically set aside to address laundry services,” she said.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Hundreds of cancelled Gauteng surgeries because of laundry shortages
PE hospitals’ linen shortage: patients resort to curtains and newspapers
Unsafe, ageing Limpopo hospital sends laundry 30km away for washing