Monkeys are running riot in KwaZulu-Natal’s government hospitals, with suggestions to overcome the problem including that staff carry water guns to shoot the cunning varmints.
But provincial Health Portfolio chairperson Dr Imran Keeka said this was impractical, and that it was not the function of healthcare workers and hospital staff to keep a watch out for “invasions” of the wards.
Umlazi’s Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital is implementing various measures aimed at keeping out the monkeys, according to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s recent response to a parliamentary question by the EFF’s Dr Sophie Thembekwayo.
He added that the same issue was previously reported at RK Khan Hospital, in Chatsworth – about 14km from Prince Mshiyeni Hospital.
“Although the problem was mainly resolved, it appears the monkeys have migrated from RK Khan to Prince Mshiyeni,” he said.
In response, the hospital has installed wire mesh in high-level windows to block monkeys from entering from the roof; waste storage cages for each ward to ensure general and medical waste is controlled; and notices strategically placed to discourage people from throwing or discarding food on hospital grounds.
Motsoaledi said the hospitals were built in the monkeys’ natural habitat, and the nearby forest had been “developed for humans, leaving the monkeys to search for new areas to exist”.
Keeka, who is also the DA’s health spokesperson, agreed with Motsoaledi, saying the primates’ presence was “exactly what happens when we encroach on their natural habitat”.
“Despite the measures in place, these intelligent little creatures become ingenious and often find ways to food,” he said.
Circulated videos have surfaced showing monkeys running rampant in the wards, stealing patients’ fruit and even urinating on staff.
“Patients definitely fear their presence, especially if they become aggressive. Monkeys also carry diseases like TB and hepatitis, which is problematic in itself,” Keeka warned.
He said a round-table discussion, which included animal protection services, was necessary to see “what more can be done”.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa provincial secretary Mbali Sabela said many of their members felt unsafe at work because apart from causing a disturbance and disruptions, the monkeys also attacked when they felt threatened or wanted access to food.
“At the end of the day, we are trained to look after patients, not to deal with monkeys.”
It was not feasible to expect staff or even hospital security to have to fend off animals in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities, Sabela added.
“There needs to be a plan for dealing with this, which includes the input of environmentalists. Their misbehaviour is escalating. And it needs to be tackled before there is a serious incident that could have been avoided.”
The issue is not limited to KwaZulu-Natal.
Motsoaledi said after monkey challenges had also been reported at Jubilee Hospital in Temba, Gauteng, between December and January, control measures were implemented, including improved waste management, enclosing dustbins, and waste collection storage units.
“The monkeys have since disappeared from Jubilee Hospital. It is suspected that seasonal changes might have had an influence on their migration patterns,” he added.
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