Heavy rains in the Alfred Nzo District, Eastern Cape, last week, disrupted services at three hospitals, three clinics, a community health centre and a nursing college, with the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipality in Bizana being particularly hard hit.
Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the outpatient section, pharmacy and doctors’ quarters at Greenville Hospital in Bizana were completely flooded, and although the hospital was functioning, it was still waterlogged.
“The hospital is going to be refurbished, with the contractor due to start on 25 April. The project is expected to cost between R150m and R200m,” he told News24.
Roof leaks at the Taylor Bequest Hospital in Matatiele resulted in patients being moved to other wards, while a ceiling collapsed at Khotsong TB Hospital in Matatiele, flooding several floors.
The roof at Makhwatini Clinic in Bizana also developed a major leak, while a falling tree damaged the roof of Mfundisweni Clinic in Ntabankulu.
Queens Mercy Clinic in Matatiele was flooded, as were the outpatient section, a patient waiting area and pharmacy at the Meje Community Health Centre in Bizana, and the records room at the Lilitha College of Nursing, also in Bizana.
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