The provincial health department has dismissed allegations that patients who died at Khayelitsha District Hospital (KDH) in Khayelitsha this week was due to staff negligence.
The department said the patients died due to their illnesses.
Khayelitsha Health Forum reported on Wednesday 8 March that three patients died on Tuesday 7 March because of staff negligence.
They cited that the staff members who were affiliated with the National, Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) left the patients unattended and joined the strike.
“We heard that there are three people that lost their lives in hospital on Tuesday. One of the patients died in the ward and the other two of them were in a trauma room. It is alleged that there were no workers at the time as some of the staff members were part of the strike. We’ve heard that the union members closed the entrance for other workers and people not to come into the hospital,” said Ndibongo.
He complained that the union didn’t consult with the community stakeholders before the strike in Khayelitsha.
Ndibongo said they are organising a special meeting with the union leaders to convince them to halt the strike.
Abulele Dyasi, communications officer for the department of health’s Khayelitsha Eastern sub-structure, rubbished the allegations cited that they are unfounded.
She said as at all hospitals some critically sick patients sometimes succumb due to their particular illness or injury.
She said KDH had recorded four deaths in the hospital between Monday 6 March and Tuesday 7 March including a dead-on-arrival case.
“None of them are linked to the protest. We have detailed medical records of each death which confirm all had a previous poor prognosis already and it is thus misleading and negligent to allege they were linked to the protest as we ensured continuous medical care,” said Dyasi.
Both Michael Mapongwana clinic and KDH were affected by the strike on Tuesday.