The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has denied that patient safety was compromised after a maintenance shutdown affected critical departments at the Steven Biko Academic Hospital.
But the Daily Maverick says it – and hospital staff – stand by its article titled Power shutdown plunges Steve Biko Academic Hospital into chaos.
On 30 September, Daily Maverick reported that staff said their patients suffered and that no proper contingency measures were in place during the shutdown which involved the evacuation and temporary relocation of patients and services over the weekend of 27 and 28 September.
On 2 October, the GDoH put out a statement denying this, saying patient safety was not compromised, and that the decision had been planned.
However, staff have called the department’s claims either “untrue” or based on a definition of “planning” detached from clinical reality. They said it was not minimal disruption, it was a preventable system failure.
They questioned the timing of the planned shutdown, saying it made little sense scheduling it during an end-of-month weekend, historically one of the busiest periods, and while the Emergency Department was still closed – just a week away from reopening.
The GDoH reiterated that before the event, multiple meetings were held with staff and information shared on various internal platforms, but staff have challenged the department to produce the notices it claims were circulated, saying no clinicians at Steve Biko or neighbouring hospitals recall receiving such instructions.
(Daily Maverick has seen a notice signed by the CEOs of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Tshwane District Hospital asking the Tshwane hospital for assistance during the shutdown that began on 27 September. This notice was signed on 23 September, just four days earlier, but staff on the hospital floor maintain this was not communicated to them.)
The department said that during the changeover period, the hospital continued to function with minimal disruptions, with emergency units temporarily relocated to Level 3 to accommodate walk-in patients who could not be diverted elsewhere.
Additionally, it said, the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) utilised its satellite facilities within the hospital next to the interim Emergency Department, serving as a temporary blood request receiving site. Furthermore, the NHLS stationed within the facility continued to receive and process requests.
Staff have insisted, however, that between the Friday and Sunday, services were disrupted. They said no high-care or surgical patients were accepted. No internal medicine patients were admitted. No CT scans were available, which meant, among other things, that no stroke patients and other time-critical patients relying on radiology services could be assessed timeously.
Even if a walk-in triage desk had been set up, they said, it did nothing to address the lack of high-acuity care, surgical access or imaging capacity. Relocating a desk is not equivalent to maintaining hospital function, they pointed out.
They said the reality was a total system collapse. P1 beds across Tshwane filled up, leaving critically ill patients stranded at district hospitals. The staff have asked the department to provide figures showing ICU and high-care availability during this period.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Power shutdown causes chaos at Steve Biko Hospital
Nine Gauteng hospitals still without permanent CEOs
Nursing unions: State hospitals like rudderless ships, with acting CEOS