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ActionSA welcomes the call by Mpumalanga Premier, Refiloe Mtshweni-Tsipane, that she will embark on a cleanup programme targeting tertiary hospitals in the Province. 

This comes after ActionSA, on Thursday last week, handed over a memorandum of demands for better safety, working and hygiene conditions at Shongwe Hospital and indeed all hospitals in the province. 

Specifically, the grievances raised by the community include: 

1.    Lack of proper hygiene inside both inside wards and general waiting areas which includes dirty windows, corridors with spider webs, and dirty floors. 

2.    Poorly maintained infrastructure with pipes leaking, causing hazards for both staff and patients. 

3.    Sub-standard food prepared for patients. 

4.    Poorly equipped and not enough emergency vehicles. 

5.    Hospital corridors which are not roofed with patients, therefore, being exposed to the elements. 

6.    Lack of air-conditioning and fire hydrants in the hospital. 

7.    Inadequate record keeping of patients while patients themselves have to wait long hours to receive files. 

8.    Poorly maintained gardens and lack of grass cutting around the hospital. 

9.    Medicine shortages for patients. 

10.  Poor staff working conditions, especially for nurses. 

11.  Poorly maintained infrastructure, 

The cleanup announced by the Premier is a step in the right direction.

In any event, we implore the Premier and MEC Sasekani Manzini to respond to our memorandum that was submitted to the MEC so the Mpumalanga Provincial Government cannot renege on its promise to provide the people of this province better access to safe and reliable healthcare in a clean environment.

Action SA will continue to fight for the rights of South Africans, both in rural and urban areas, to ensure that they get the services they deserve, and are enabled to live better lives. 

Issued by ActionSA Mpumalanga Provincial Chairperson Thoko Mashiane