Relentless efforts by an organised network of serial thieves to steal critical equipment from Free State hospitals is forcing the already strained facilties to outlay hundreds of thousands of rands in replacements, reports Mail & Guardian.
Repeated thefts of taps, toilet flush mechanisms and copper pipes have left toilets locked, disrupted hot water supplies, and affected the supply of crucial oxygen to operating theatres. Private security has also had to be deployed, said staff at three hospitals, while ICU patients have also been put at risk.
According to some employees, their prime suspects are maintenance contractors and people working at the hospitals.
The M&G visited hospitals in Bloemfontein: the National District Hospital, Universitas Academic Hospital and Pelonomi Regional Hospital, where the theft of Cobra flush masters was a common problem.
This is a heavy-duty, direct-flushing valve system that connects to a water supply pipe to flush toilets and urinals without needing a traditional bulky cistern. Those used in hospitals cost between R7 000 and R9 000. However, a senior official said that because the items had to be purchased through the supply chain process, the cost could rise to R12 000 or R13 000 per unit.
“Sometimes you have to buy about 40 of them, then you can easily spend more than R400 000,” the official said.
At Universitas Academic Hospital, nurses were using five-litre water containers to fill urns because the hospital has been without hot water for some time.
Fully functional public toilets have been locked and private security deployed to help curb the thefts of these flush masters. Patients can, however, access toilets in their wards.
A senior staffer at Universitas said: “It is definitely insiders doing this because they know exactly where to steal the copper pipes. We have welded where they have broken in, but they still came in and stole the piping.”
Universitas chief executive Dr Balekile Mzangwa said the vandalising of critical infrastructure had been a problem for years, but that the hospital had recently seen a spike in cases.
At least 79 incidents had been reported to the authorities, but Mzangwa said there had been no progress reports.
“Once they actually caught someone stealing red-handed, but that person was given bail,” Mzangwa said.
“Having to look at the gravity of the matter, with copper pipes for oxygen being stolen, you ask how many people would have died. But it’s an issue I don'’t want to get into…”
He said the hospital has been forced to purchase the same items over and over again as the criminal activity continues.
He added that the theft of the copper pipes supplying oxygen to the hospital, and thus keep operating theatres functioning, was unforgivable.
“The criminals are murderers because, indirectly, they are killing. They don’t know the impact they have on patients.”
On the hot water shortages, Mzangwa said the hospital had commissioned boilers and procured geysers to ensure that, even when the boilers were not working, there would still be a way to keep water hot.
“For the time being, patients wash with hot water from urns… we are doing our best to make this hospital function.”
Although he did not have the exact figures, he said the hospital had spent a substantial amount of money replacing stolen copper pipes and the flush masters.
Frustrated nurses at National District Hospital said the facility had been struggling with its toilets for months, with some being permanently closed or converted into storerooms.
In the bathrooms, there is a terrible stench and broken basins. Water pipes connected to the basins have been all been stolen: the taps have been replaced with plastic ones. Some of those have also been stolen.
A nurse said the hospital was in a state of decay.
“It has been like this for a long time. We have to tell patients we don’t have toilets and it is frustrating.”
The nurses said that their prime suspects were some of the companies responsible for maintenance, and some employees who knew exactly how much these items cost.
They argued that no petty criminal would simply walk into a hospital and steal a Cobra flush master, as the item was not intended for household use and would be difficult to sell.
They said they’d heard the flush masters and piping was being sold to scrapyards.
At the nearby Pelonomi Regional Hospital, management has tried to conceal the flush masters behind white metal boxes, making them less accessible, while metal taps have been replaced with plastic.
A patient at Pelonomi Hospital said his stay had been horrible – and that he had been moved between all three hospitals.
“I started at Universitas, but I wasn’t there for long, and then went to the National Hospital. It was terrible. People were defecating all over the place. Here at Pelonomi, it’s also horrible. Go to Ward 6 and you will realise how bad the situation is.”
The M&G contacted the CEO of Pelonomi, who is also in charge of National District Hospital, but who declined to answer questions and referred the publication to the provincial office.
Mondli Mvambi, Free State Health department spokesman, said they were not aware of any theft syndicates.
“There have been about 32 incidents reported to police from various health institutions … including Pelonomi and Universitas.”
The value of the stolen copper pipes was R1 015 896; electrical cables R175 368; while toilet fittings and flush masters stood at R1 560 000, Mvambi said.
At Pelonomi, he said, copper piping worth R500 000 was stolen by two officials from technical services. They have since been dismissed from public service, he added.
About 32 health facilities in the Free State have been affected by theft and vandalism.
“The Department is tightening security measures including increasing access control and searching of bags and vehicles, applying security escort measures in administrative buildings without mandatory public interface, increasing security staff and their visibility, shifting them around to avoid familiarity and pairing them with private security personnel ….”
Further measures include expanding CCTV coverage with face recognition technology, and partnering with the private sector to augment public facility security at lesser or no cost, including assistance by Neighbourhood Watch, community safety patrols and the police.
Mail & Guardian article – Criminals Target Free State Hospitals
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