Soweto - Normal operations have resumed at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto after a two-day closure following a blaze that broke out in the facility's Human Resources office.
The hospital opened its casualty services last night after two days of cleaning, and fixing of furniture and plumbing.
The hospital managed to transfer 126 patients to eight other healthcare institutions around the province. Only 79 patients were discharged from those institutions based on clinical judgments.
“We had to make sure that everything was fixed and fine for when the patients come back,” said operational manager at a medical ward, Rachel Merafe.
Merafe, who has been liaising with the nurses from assisting hospitals, said she spent the last two days checking if the patients were taken care of.
The Gauteng Department of Health said it was given a go ahead, from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development and the Department of Labour, to reopen the facility.
“The two departments are still on site and busy replacing the filters, prioritising the causality and outpatient departments. They handed us some key areas, among others, the pharmacy, theatre 2, 3 and 4, surgical A and B,” said head of Health Department Professor Mkhululi Lukhele.
He added that the department was yet to calculate the damage done by the fire, to ascertain how much was needed to replace and restructure the affected areas.
It is not clear what caused the fire. Investigations are still under way.
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