Durban - The Health Department would need R184 million to repair 84 hospitals and clinics damaged by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
This was revealed by the department after visits by Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, Deputy Minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, to a number of health facilities around eThekwini that were damaged.
This week, they kicked off their series of inspections at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi. The hospital, which serves Umlazi and South Coast communities, had a shortage of water and the officials were informed tankers had started supplying water and the hospital’s newly established reservoir was back on track.
eThekwini Municipality had been brought on board to assist with 40 tanker loads of water per day, to maintain operations at the facility.
The department said operations at all health-care facilities were now back to normal, with the exception of Inanda Newtown A Community Health Centre, which has had to completely close down due to severe damage. The facility was also visited by the ministerial delegation and they were told 80% of patient files were destroyed.
Simelane said her department would expedite the implementation of the e-health programme to move from a paper system to e-filing, which was being implemented before the disaster. Simelane said she was grateful that no health worker or a patient had been reported as having died in the floods thus far.
The MEC also announced that mobile clinics with doctors will be dispatched to halls and temporary structures where flood victims are being accommodated until their homes are rebuilt.
“We are concerned about the lives of our people, especially those on chronic medication. We will make sure that they get their medication wherever they are,” Simelane said.
She allayed fears that the closure of the Inanda health facility would affect residents, saying there were a number of neighbouring health facilities in the KwaMashu, Ntuzuma and Inanda areas where patients would be moved, adding the department had also activated mobile clinic units in affected areas.
“The ministerial entourage also visited the Nhlungwane community, near Ntuzuma, where a number of houses, roads, bridges and various public amenities were washed away. They engaged with the public, who related details of their plight. The government leaders noted these, and are channelling them to the relevant state entities for further intervention,” Simelane said.
Daily News