A burst pipe at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital flooded five paediatric wards as staff scrambled to move patients to other wards and hospitals. Daily Maverick reports it was the latest in a series of maintenance issues at the hospital, and with hospitals making space for COVID-19 patients, has had a serious impact on its bed capacity.
Daily Maverick quotes a source as saying that “the combined paediatric neonatal intensive care unit is down to five beds and patients are being transferred out to other hospitals. Ward 286, haematology oncology, is also moving patients out as their immune-compromised patients cannot be exposed to whatever potential pathogens may be in the leaking water”.
“The maintenance at the hospital has been a long-standing issue. Bursting pipes is a recurring issue,” said Jack Bloom, the DA’s Gauteng shadow health minister.
Wards that were affected included the premature baby ward, the paediatric neonatal ICU and the paediatric COVID-19 designated ward. Two babies were transferred to Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, said Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku.
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-06-22-paediatric-patients-moved-after-flooding-at-charlotte-maxeke-hospital/#gsc.tab=0"]Full Daily Maverick report[/link]