Yet another Life Esidimeni tragedy could be on the cards as prolonged power outages have hit SA’s biggest mental health hospital, Weskoppies Hospital, in Pretoria.
Warnings of another Life Esidimeni tragedy have been sounded by employees and officials of the hospital, where scores of workers and employees allegedly work in the dark at night.
A union member, closely connected to the situation at the hospital in Tshwane, has revealed that the hospital has been without electricity for over two weeks.
According to the unionist, who did not want to be named, the situation at the 1 400-bed hospital is so dire that vulnerable patients are forced to take cold showers, eat cold, and stale food.
“I am a union member who is concerned about another possible Life Esidimeni tragedy. Patients at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, which is the biggest hospital, has been without electricity for two weeks and counting.
“Patients are receiving no fresh food. They are being forced to take cold showers and are suffering because of this. This comes after years of the hospital receiving no fresh fruit and vegetables as part of their meals due to budget cuts,” the source said.
These allegations were verified by two employees of the hospital, who refused to be named or photographed on their way back to the facility on Wednesday.
“Yes. We can confirm that there is no electricity around here. But please we do not want to be arrested or lose our jobs. In fact, do not even photograph us,” said one of two staff members who spoke on condition of anonymity outside the hospital.
The second worker said: “The situation is bad as we are now returning to work to face the same challenges we have been facing for the past few days.”
As one of the country’s biggest public psychiatric hospitals, this facility is also used by the University of Pretoria and the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University as a teaching hospital.
Gauteng Health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, revealed that there is an ongoing issue with the power supply, which a contractor is currently trying to resolve as speedily as possible to ensure the safety of everyone concerned.
“There is a contractor on site who is working to resolve the matter as Weskoppies Hospital has been experiencing a power outage for the past two weeks due to faulty cables and aging infrastructure. The situation had nothing to do with the issue of the municipal account. The hospital’s municipal accounts are up to date.
“An investigation revealed that the tripping was caused by multiple faults in a previously joined cable, which was further damaged by water from heavy rainfall.
“Since then, the hospital has been relying on back-up power from the PV Solar System and diesel generators. However, these generators can only supply electricity for limited periods and require refuelling and maintenance due to prolonged use,” he stated.
Another allegation made by the unionist is that the hospital’s CEO has not been at work for an extended period of time, adding that night duty employees were having a difficult time managing their work with the ongoing power outage.
“Night shift staff are having the worst experience as psychiatrists and nurses are exposed to dangerous conditions working in the dark.
“Just imagine being in the building with 60 patients with no lights on. Staff members are forced to dispense medication using torches. When patients fight, their injuries are not accounted for,” said the source.
On the issue of the facility’s AWOL CEO, the union member alleged: “The CEO has been on leave of absence since the year started and nothing is being done. I am reporting a human right violation. The department is once again failing mental health patients and workers are threatening to put tools down.”
However, these allegations were vehemently dismissed by the department as mischievous and baseless.
“Weskoppies CEO is currently at work. The allegations that the CEO has been on extended leave of absence are mischievous and aimed at misleading the public. In line with conditions of employment, CEOs are entitled to also take leave. When a CEO is on leave, an acting person is appointed with full delegated responsibilities as was the case in Weskoppies when the CEO was on leave,” Modiba said.