Sowetan reports that Department of Health (DOH) employees at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital (NMAH) in Mthatha have to travel close to 500km daily to Mdantsane to do the institution’s laundry at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) because of faulty machines at their own hospital.

According to workers, only one washing machine and one dryer are working. One source explained that they took turns to travel to CMH, where they did the laundry overnight. “It is not just the NMAH linen that we wash, but Bedford and Mthatha General Hospital laundry as well. Theatre laundry is done at a laundromat in Mthatha.” DOH spokesperson Yonela Dekeda confirmed that the laundry was not “functioning at its full capacity due to unforeseen breakdown.” She said there were delays in receiving parts from abroad because of Covid-19 restrictions. Another source who works at the laundry said: “You find piles of dirty laundry. It’s just that we need jobs, but working like this is not good.” Dekeda said approval “has been granted to contract these workers up to the end of March 2022. When a revised organogram [for the hospital] is approved, the recruitment processes will take place.”

• Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Ziyanda Zweni on page 4 of Sowetan of 2 November 2021

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