Letter - THE recent incident at the RK Khan Hospital where a patient, who has since died, was found with live maggots in his mouth, highlights the serious challenges faced by our health system in KwaZulu-Natal. State hospitals are characterised by limited funding, unfilled posts and a lack of resources.
This is unfortunate because these hospitals serve the most vulnerable in our society - the poor, the sick and the elderly. It is not uncommon to hear how patients wait from the early hours of the morning to receive treatment, or that many are turned away because there are not enough beds.
It’s important that we don’t paint all medical staff with the same brush by labelling them lazy or incompetent. Nurses and doctors work under difficult circumstances and tremendous pressure.
RK Khan Hospital is no exception - as it is understaffed by over 40% and when posts become available, they are not filled. This fact, however, cannot be used as an excuse for negligence as health professionals are bound by an ethical code of conduct and are required to give off their best at all times.
Why does it take a tragedy to highlight problems in the system? Why are members of the public prohibited from exposing serious hazards at public hospitals? Why is the response from the department always insensitive to the concerns raised by members of the public? Why do members of the community choose to cry out to the media?
The answers to these questions lie in the weak leadership of the former health MEC in KZN, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
It was under his administration that the entire health system in this province collapsed. He appointed hospital boards that comprised people without the requisite skills or knowledge to serve the community honestly, diligently and without fear. He silenced boards and made sure they remained “Imbongis” (a praise person) of the department and himself.
The oncology department at Addington Hospital was dysfunctional for many years and Dhlomo pretended all was fine, while cancer patients were dying because they could not afford private healthcare.
There was no need for us, as the community, to form an action committee, or for the family of the patient who died at the RK Khan Hospital, to go to the media as a cry for help if there was an effective hospital board that could be trusted to take up the cause.
Hospital boards are meant to build confidence and establish a sense of ownership in the public health system where patient care should be at the centre.
The new MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, has her work cut out if she wants to undo the mess created by her predecessor.
She has started on the right foot by sympathising and supporting the victims, meeting with the community, and condemning the treatment meted out.
As a start, Simelane-Zulu will have to look at every board appointed and whether the process was transparent and fair.
The next step, which she spelled out clearly, is to determine a minimum nurse/patient ratio and ensure that every public hospital meets this standard.
A common excuse is a lack of funding and here we must all play a role. We need to form pressure groups and protest against the skewed allocation of resources in this country. Our demands to the government must be to prioritise healthcare and ensure that every state hospital is well-equipped with resources and staff. As the community, we will be watching and holding our public representatives accountable.