Plans have been put in place to refurbish some of the old buildings at the Shimankana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg. The Times reports that this is according to Gauteng Health spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane who said: “One of the old buildings has, for example, been refurbished for use as an extension of the outpatient department. The district is also advocating for a district hospital in the long term.”
This comes after reports at the weekend suggested that pregnant women are forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of space in the hospital.
Women who recently gave birth at the hospital are quoted as saying that they were forced to sleep on hospital benches and in wheelchairs for several days.
Lekgethwane said the lack of space was largely due to population growth, an influx of migrant miners, an increase in non-communicable diseases and the fact that the hospital was historically built for “a small white minority during apartheid”.
He said the department had partnerships with private hospitals, including facilities at local mines where patients can be admitted.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-02-10-pregnant-women-sleep-on-floor-at-rustenburg-hospital/"]Full report in The Times[/link]