The Public Servants’ Association has called for an immediate audit of all public healthcare facilities to assess fire hazards and other risks, after a blaze this past weekend at Pretoria’s Steve Biko Hospital saw intensive care unit patients having to be evacuated.
The fire was attributed to a problem with the lithium batteries for the backup uninterrupted power supply system (UPS).
No other parts of the hospital were affected, and no one was injured, but the union said that given the fire’s origin, the Health Department needed to investigate the safety of similar systems at all hospitals and implement stricter maintenance protocols.
It also called for regular fire drills and adequate training of hospital staff to ensure readiness for emergencies, reports TimesLIVE.
The union said the safety of patients, staff and infrastructure must be an immediate and an ongoing priority for the government.
Tshwane emergency services said the fire was reported at about 12.45am and firefighters from three fire stations had to be dispatched to the hospital.
A total of 20 adult patients and one paediatric patient, who were in the ICU, were all safely moved to other wards.
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