Patients at the Frere Hospital’s maternity ward in East London in the Eastern Cape say the unavailability of beds is affecting them negatively.
Patients say they sleep on couches and benches in the ward’s foyer.
Some claim they were admitted to the hospital a week ago and have not received any help.
A maternity patient says, “As you can see we sleep like this, every day we come here and there are some patients who have been here for a week or so with no nighty, no blankets. The only thing we get is food. There are people who come here from different towns, especially for a pregnant woman you can’t sleep here while you’re in pain, it’s really strenuous.”
Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa says problems at the hospital’s maternity ward are caused by patients coming in without referrals.
“There is a shortage of beds. Remember I am saying the hospital is overloaded because the patients are more than the required number, others are not supposed to be here, but because they do not know they run straight here, but whereas they are supposed to go to the district or lower level hospital. So if they are here we try and accommodate them,” says Capa.
VIDEO | Negligence in public healthcare facilities in the Eastern Cape:
