One of South Africa’s biggest hospitals in ‘critical healthcare crisis’

Patients sometimes wait 24 hours to see a doctor at one of the Eastern Cape’s biggest public hospitals, Livingstone Hospital, in Gqeberha. There are also staff shortages in every department – from nurses and doctors to porters – and security guards sit on the floor.

News24 interviewed a senior medical professional at the hospital, who only refers to himself as “a concerned doctor”, said the crisis at the hospital was severe and getting worse every day.

“The situation is critical, and I believe it warrants urgent investigation and public attention. The current state of affairs is unsustainable and directly threatens healthcare professionals and patients,” the doctor said.

He said the province lacked after-hours healthcare and that no primary healthcare facilities were available in the region after hours, forcing patients to rely solely on Livingstone Hospital.

This leads to extreme overcrowding, and some patients wait 24 hours before they are seen by a doctor.

“[Earlier this week] the security guards went on a strike because they weren’t paid. During that time, staff members were afraid for their safety as the hospital was located in a high-risk area. The anxiety is further compounded by patients, frustrated by the long waiting times, often directing their anger towards doctors and medical staff, leaving us defenceless,” he said.

Furthermore, the doctor claimed that every department in the hospital was understaffed, leading to departments restricting access to wards, which exacerbated the bottleneck in the emergency and casualty units.

“We face constant shortages of essential medical supplies, including items as basic as IV cannulae, ECG electrodes and inter-costal drains. The lack of such critical supplies hampers our ability to provide even routine care.”

A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Mkhululi Ndamase, said although the security guards stopped working for a few hours this week due to non-payment, they went back to work following an engagement between the department and the company. The department owes Nomgwenya Security Services R1.8 million ($103 000) which was reportedly authorised for payment on 3 October 2024.

“The department remains committed to paying its debts within the budgetary constraints,” said Ndamase.

“This was not a crisis. During the period of the security guards not working, there were no security breaches, meaning the lives of patients and staff were not under threat”.

Ndamase acknowledged the staff shortages across the province, saying it would ideally want to fill all vacancies. However, this was not always possible because of budgetary constraints that employees should be aware of.

Because of these budgetary constraints and historical cash flow challenges, the department said it was sometimes unable to pay its suppliers on time, resulting in them withholding their services.