Durban - The Health Department is investigating allegations that patients in isolation at Durban’s Clairwood Hospital were being served stale food containing maggots.
Patients, some of whom have been in isolation for more than 14 days after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, took to social media to complain about the food they were being served.
One of the patients, who would not be named for fear of victimisation, said: “The food was brought later than expected in the afternoon and while eating, we spotted maggots in the food. We have not been fed fresh food since we arrived here, but we have no other choice; hospital food is all we have.
“We are worried about the damage this would have on our health as patients diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus”.
They complained that the food “is so bad”, but they do not have any other option because their families do not have permits to travel to the hospital to give them food.
“We do not have the symptoms yet, but we are in isolation because we have tested positive with Covid-19. The diagnosis itself is scary; we do not know what to expect and we don’t know when the virus is going to strike.
“I am certain that we would have to eat right to fight the virus. We got the shock of our lives to discover maggots in the food,” said another patient.
Three of the patients in the isolation ward tested positive out of the 50 people who had come into contact with a Durban teacher who died of Covid-19 two weeks ago.
Worried about their health after the hospital allegedly did not take their concerns seriously, the patients took to Facebook on Monday.
One said she would rather die in the comfort of her home than be fed “poisonous” food.
However, they nevertheless gave credit to the good work of the nurses.
“Although the nurses did not have answers to all of our questions about the Covid-19 virus, they took good care of us. There is a lot that everyone, including the health-care workers, is yet to learn about this virus. They are equally scared of the virus.
“They said it is the worst life-threatening situation they have been through.
“Life here in isolation is hard. We miss our children and families at home. We spend a lot of time thinking about whether we will see them again.
“We have to focus on getting better, but how can we do that when the hospital feeds us stale food with maggots? We had to expose this,” a patient said.
Health Department spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said the department was “extremely disturbed and concerned” about the matter, which was now under investigation by management of the eThekwini health district, which oversees the functioning of Clairwood Hospital.
“The application of consequence management and implementation of measures to prevent a recurrence of this isolated incident will run concurrently with this investigation.
“The department would like to assure the public that it will endeavour to ensure strict adherence to hygiene and the highest safety standards for patients’ food, which is paramount,” said Maphisa.