Only one out 394 South African state hospitals was found to adhere to the required standards of “cleanliness, infection control and drug stock; as well as acceptable staff attitudes, patient safety standards and reasonable waiting times”, it was reported by a Sunday newspaper yesterday.
This finding came to light during an official audit. The lone hospital adhering to the laid-down norms was Witrand Psychiatric Hospital in Potchefstroom, a rural city 100 km west of Johannesburg which may have been less blighted by affirmative action, racial quotas and corruption than the rest.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Zebediela Hospital in Limpopo province received only 7 percent for cleanliness and the Standerton TB Hospital registered an equally shocking 8 percent for staff attitudes.
The results recenlty published came from an audit held from May 2011 to may 2012 at 3880 hospitals and clinics throughout South Africa.
Up to 93 percent of hospital wards did not have “adequate and functional equipment needed to ensure the safety of mothers and children” while a mere 32 percent were seen “to have sufficient infection control procedures”.
In only two of the hospitals were conditions such that patients might feel safe and overall three quarters of staff were found to be “not caring about patients”.