PATIENTS FLOOD CLINICS, DRUGS RUN OUT

MBABANE – While there is minimal flow of patients to the Mbabane Government Hospital, local clinics are flooded with patients and as a result they are experiencing drug shortages.

Most of the clinics have been experiencing an influx of patients, since last week. Of note is that the Mbabane Government Hospital medical staff had downed tools, demanding protective gear.
Patients who were admitted were also discharged following the situation.

Meanwhile, it was established by this reporter during a visit to some clinics that they had challenges coping with the influx of patients.
Clinics that were visited included Mahwalala Red Cross and the clinic situated at the old Mbabane Police Station.

Confirmed

In an interview with nurses at the Red Cross Clinic, they confirmed that they were weighed down by the number of patients they had to attend to on a daily basis. According to the nurses, they had to attend double the number of patients compared to normal days.
Normally, they stated that on Saturday, only one nurse assisted patients and she found herself having to attend to triple the number attended to on an average weekend.

They said yesterday, they attended to 135 patients, yet the figure usually stood at 80 people during weekdays.
This, they said, was devastating as they also were not prepared on how best they could deal with the situation, exposing themselves in the process.
The nurses said they had raised the issue with their employer as they needed to be prepared.

“The Ministry of Health decided to dump us and not engage us, at least on how to respond,” they said.
According to the nurses, there was a dire need for them to also get tested for the coronavirus, especially because they came into contact with various patients including those who showed suspicious symptoms.

Contracted

 “Right now we do not know whether we contracted the coronavirus or not,” stated one of the nurses.
 She said she was forced to assist a lady from Mpumalanga, South Africa who had flu-like symptoms together with her child.
On the issue of drugs stock-outs, they said their shelves were running dry.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: