By Lungani Zungu
Patients at the Bethesda Hospital in Mkhanyakude, north of KwaZulu-Natal, have had almost no water since the hospital’s taps ran dry on Friday.
Some lucky patients have loved ones to bring them water but many don’t, having to ration what little they have from the tankers which occasionally stop by.
Meanwhile, nobody has a clean toilet to use; without water to flush away waste, the toilets have become unusable cesspits that force residents to look elsewhere.
Showers and baths, needless to say, are not available either.
Thabiso Mkhize, whose ailing mother was admitted to the hospital, said he is forced to always carry water when he visits her.
“This is painful because we send people to hospitals so they can get medical attention, but now they are struggling to even get water,” said Mkhize.
“This is an injustice to the patients who are struggling to get water to drink,” added Mkhize, who did not want to disclose his mother’s name for fear of her being targeted.
Thembi, a patient, said it has been a painful experience for her as well as for the older patients at the hospital.
“My life here has been tough since Friday when we last had water here. It is painful because there are elderly people who need to regularly drink water to stay hydrated,” said Thembi.
She said the hospital staff members have been giving them water whenever a water tanker comes to deliver water to the hospital but she said this was not enough.
“There are more than 200 patients in this hospital, and the water is often not enough to cover all of us,” said Thembi.
This is not the first time the hospital has faced a water crisis.
In 2018, the hospital that services a population of more than 100,000 population was hit with a water crisis.
Then AmaZulu King Misizulu KaZwelithini intervened and got much-needed funding for water projects last November.
Mdu Ncalane, the spokesperson of the Department of Health, told Scrolla.Africa to contact uMkhanyakude District Municipality.
“We have been in contact with the hospital and we are working around the clock to resolve this matter which is largely caused by load shedding that is happening in our country,” said Mdu Dlamini, the spokesperson of uMkhanyakude District Municipality
“As the government, we cannot allow people’s lives to be put at risk due to the lack of water in the hospital.”
Pictured above: Bethesda Hospital
Picture source: Facebook
