PE’s Livingstone Hospital in 'disarray' as general workers protest
Two doctors at the hospital on Wednesday blew the whistle and told Eyewitness News about the alarming situation.
CAPE TOWN - Amid the fight against COVID-19, Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth is in disarray due to a go-slow by cleaners, cooks, porters, and laundry workers.
Two doctors at the hospital on Wednesday blew the whistle and told Eyewitness News about the alarming situation.
The doctors, who remained anonymous after alleged threats, said they were only receiving critically ill patients because there was simply no space due to the litter.
They said before the COVID-19 pandemic the facility faced chronic staff shortages across the board, and the pandemic had exacerbated the situation. They also said this added more stress to an already strained system with overworked general assistants.
EWN has not yet received comment from unions, but it was believed the workers were upset about not receiving overtime pay and other issues.
Two doctors at Livingstone Hospital told EWN it was their duty to act as porters and cleaners had downed tools.
Some doctors were even taking hospital linen and surgical gear offsite to ensure they were cleaned.
They said the hospital was in a filthy and dire state.
Refuse was not collected and beds and bodily fluids on the floor were not being cleaned.
Photos sent to EWN showed cardboard bins stuffed with rubbish and other medical waste littering passages and rooms.
The Eastern Cape Health Department’s spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo could not confirm the go-slow allegations, but indicated the claims would have to be investigated.
