The family of a 61-year-old woman who is receiving treatment at Eerste River Hospital says patients on drips and wearing catheters are forced to sleep on benches because there are no beds.
The woman’s 30-year-old son-in-law from Eerste River, who asked not to be identified, says she is being treated as an outpatient for a growth in her throat.
At the weekend, the man visited the state hospital and says he was shocked to find patients being treated from benches and chairs.
“My mother-in-law had a swelling inside her throat and was helped after 12 hours, only to be told there is no bed for her and that she must rather come back the next day,” he says.
“I witnessed patients sitting on the benches and they were being treated via drips, some had catheters.
“These patients could not be treated inside a ward because there were no beds or staff.
NO ROOM: Patients on drips sleeping on benches
“When I fetched my mother-in-law 12 hours after her stay on Sunday, they said she must be fetched and brought back the next day.
“I took her back today after 6am and when I called her at 1pm, she said she had not been helped or given a bed.”
Western Cape Government Health spokesman Sithembiso Magubane says: “The pictures were taken of patients who were waiting in the Triage area, still to be seen by the doctor.
“There are 10 beds in the Emergency unit which are allocated to patients based on the severity of their condition, their mobility and the need to be examined.
“On average 75 patients come to the unit every day and unfortunately the demand for beds, fueled by the burden of disease, outstrip the available resources.”