The overcrowded Edenvale Hospital’s casualty ward where patients are forced to wait a long time before doctors can attend to them.
PATIENTS said they came to the Edenvale Hospital in the hope of getting better treatment, but the hospital has become as bad as the others.
Most patients who come to the hospital in Edenvale, Ekurhuleni, are from Tembisa.
“We come here in the early hours of the morning and we leave at sunset,” said a patient
“The queues are very long. One must stand for a long time waiting for files and treatment.”
Jack Bloom, the DA’s shadow minister for health in Gauteng, said the hospital is severely overcrowded.
“Some patients are on stretchers in the corridors. I saw this when I did an oversight visit recently. There are 230 beds but more than 250 admitted patients at any given time.”
Bloom said the casualty ward is the worst affected as patients can wait there for up to a week before being admitted to a ward.
“There are 12 beds in casualty which were all occupied. I saw another 10 patients on stretchers.
“It’s also crowded in the area where patients wait for their files as well the pharmacy area.”
He said the maternity ward doesn’t have enough beds.
“There should be new wards with 100 extra beds and a new casualty section. The entrance area should be expanded with more seating, and there should be two more operating rooms.”
Health spokesman Prince Hamnca said no patient is ever sent home unattended.
“If they haven’t seen a doctor, an arrangement for the next immediate appointment is made.
“We are aware of the challenge of overcrowding at the hospital. This is due to various factors such as immigration,” said Hamnca.
