Problems are never-ending at the beleaguered hospital which, two years after the devastating fire, crippling theft and corruption, is now grappling with major issues in its Emergency Department and ICU.
Last week, ICU-trained staff refused to work overtime, saying they hadn’t been paid since last year. The doctors say the nursing agency from which temporary staff are recruited was unable to provide nurses because it, too, has not been paid.
The Daily Maverick reports that the result is emergency theatres cannot be used, because there are no ICU beds available for post-op recuperation and care. Doctors said there are 23 vacant ICU and high-care beds, with 32 patients on its emergency waiting list.
Adding to the woes, on the weekend of 7/8 January, copper piping worth R3m was stolen from above an operating theatre inside the hospital, adding to the disruption of surgery.
On the issue of the nursing shortage, Motalatale Modiba, head of communications at the Gauteng Department of Health said: “Given that overtime is voluntary, it is not correct to say that nurses refused to work.
“With regards to overtime not being paid, because the hospital received late and incorrect submissions, there were delays, as some submissions had to be redone and resubmitted. Nevertheless, CMJAH is finalising the process to pay the affected employees.”
Professor Shabir Madhi, dean of the Wits University Faculty of Health Sciences, told Maverick Citizen: “The scarcity of specialised nurses has been an evolving issue over the past decade and is multi-factorial. This includes lack of investment in training, non-replacement of specialised retired nurses, loss through emigration, reduction/freezing of nursing posts and competing demands between the private and public sectors.
“The issue is not unique to ICU nurses, but also other specialities such as dialysis/nephrology. The situation is being exacerbated by the reduction in training posts for medical specialists as well.
“Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any strategy in place to address the human resource needs of the health sector in SA, which is uniformly applied across provinces. Overall, specialised medical care – more so in the public sector – remains under severe duress, with the shortage of specialised nurses being a threat to the quality of care.”
Dr Aslam Dasoo, the chairperson of the Progressive Health Forum, noted that despite the staff shortages, the fire and disruption, “dedicated health workers and Wits medical faculty academics have somehow managed to keep its services going”, but that “the latest breakdowns have now impacted these services, necessitating diverting patients from Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to other overcrowded facilities”.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Charlotte Maxeke fully functional only in 2026
Surgeons operate in dangerous heat as Charlotte Maxeke aircon fails
Charlotte Maxeke repairs on track at 90%, but still two-year waiting lists
Charlotte Maxeke hospital blaze an act of arson – forensic report