COSATU raises alarm over hospital safety after Tembisa fire
The Congress of the South African Trade Union (COSATU) in Gauteng has questioned the state of safety in Gauteng hospitals after a fire broke out in the emergency unit at Tembisa Hospital in Ekurhuleni on Saturday.
The blaze that erupted in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit, prompted the safe evacuation of at least 85 individuals, 79 patients and six staff to nearby healthcare facilities.
READ MORE: Gauteng health: Tembisa hospital fire is contained
COSATU’s provincial secretary, Louisah Modikwe, said four years before this incident, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital had a similar incident, which put the lives of both patients and staff at risk.
She added that the incident at Charlott Maxeke disrupted services and became a financial burden to taxpayers in the province.
Modikwe called on the Department of Health and the Department of Employment of Labour to conduct an assessment of the current state of all health institutions in the province to determine the extent of the occupational health and safety challenges, including the ageing infrastructure.
“Hospitals are meant to provide medical care for the sick and injured, and they must be safe spaces, but the recurring fires at health facilities remain a source of concern for the workers and the citizens of Gauteng,” said Modikwe.
Meanwhile, the MEC for Health in Gauteng, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, told the media on Monday that the Gauteng Health Infrastructure Unit had recently renovated the Accident and Emergency unit at the hospital.
She said the firefighting equipment records at the hospital showed that it is valid and compliant until 2026.
Nkomo-Ralehoko assured the public that the hospital was fully operational and that all the wards were open for visitors to check on their loved ones who have been admitted at the facility.
ALSO READ:
