South Africa: Patients Have to Get Water Brought to Them At This Durban Hospital

Municipality is rationing water to large parts of the city

Families of patients are bringing water for their loved ones to Prince Mshiyeni Memorial hospital in Umlazi, Durban. This reporter witnessed this on Saturday when visiting the hospital.

Staff we spoke to say the hospital has been without consistent water supply for a week. Most of the toilets have been closed to the public. Some patients have to use the non-flushing chemical toilets installed next to the hospital entrance.

When there is some water, patients have to have cold baths because there is insufficient water in the geysers.

The washing machines in the linen department were not functioning. They appeared to have been broken for some time.

Staff we spoke to said the water situation was even worse in the intensive care unit.

The hospital has been hit by water rationing in Durban.

KwaZulu-Natal health department spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said the department is aware of the “ongoing water supply challenge affecting Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, along with several sections of the Umlazi township in south Durban” since 2 February.

“While the current conditions are far from ideal, the department is in constant communication with the eThekwini Municipality and other stakeholders to expedite solutions and restore normalcy as soon as possible. We are also working closely with our neighbouring hospitals to share the load to reduce the number of patients coming to the hospital,” said Maphisa.

EThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said a team of highly skilled personnel have been deployed to undertake an assessment on parts of the southern aqueduct, following a drastic reduction of inflow to some areas in the south and central regions of the city.

“The municipality will also be rationing the available water to ensure equal supply to all affected areas. As a short-term intervention, water tankers continue to supply water to affected residents until the system fully recovers. This project will significantly improve flow of water to areas supplied through this bulk pipeline – Queensburg and Umlazi,” said Sisilana.

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