The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday called on the province's health department to conduct a full investigation into a fire that broke out at Addington Hospital.

On Tuesday medical waste and general refuse caught fire on the 7th floor of the hospital in Durban, leading to the paediatric and neo-natal units being evacuated. It was extinguished by staff and the city fire department. 

IFP KZN health spokeswoman Ncamisile Nkwanyana said the incident called for a thorough investigation into how waste management was handled by hospitals. 

"Waste storage in hospitals should be designated on the lower levels of the hospital buildings (to) mitigate the risks of fires which put patients’ lives at risk," Nkwanyana said. "We are concerned about the recurring of fires at Addington Hospital as we saw in 2018 where two sporadic fires broke out on different floors of this hospital."

She said the IFP was calling on the KZN member of the executive council for health Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu to ensure that security and safety measures were improved at Addington.

"Anyone found to be involved in starting the fire deliberately at Addington Hospital must be held accountable for endangering lives of medical staff and patients and damaging infrastructure," Nkwanyana added.

"That person must be charged with attempted murder and charges of tampering and destroying essential infrastructure."