Maternity hospital clears out ‘toilet mess’
WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES: Hospital patients complain of filth in outpatient toilets.
CRIME has been hampering proper service delivery at Lower Umfolozi War Memorial Regional Hospital as well as delaying the outsourcing of a new service provider, according to management.
These issues were brought to light by members of the community, who laid complaints of unhygienic toilet facilities.
‘On Sunday, the out-patient toilets had no toilet paper, hand soap or paper towels.’ said resident Glynnys Cheesman.
‘The labour ward toilets were covered in blood and yet this is supposed to be a sterile environment.
‘The frustrating part of it all, is that when you report it nothing gets done. They just don’t care.’ Cheesman said.
Acting CEO and Medical Manager, Dr Ileana Popa outlined the problems faced as well as intervention measures put in place.
‘Every two hours, we replace three rolls of toilet paper which are stolen from the out-patient toilets.
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‘The locks of the dispensers have been broken, so toilet paper including bottles of liquid soap are stolen out of the dispensers,’ said Dr Popa.
‘We have had a private cleaning company contracted to the hospital since 2012, and after several letters of complaint, we have been given the go-ahead from head office to terminate their services at the end of this month.
‘We are in the process of sourcing a new company and in the interim have a contingency plan in place.
‘We also have infection control policies in place, with monthly reports and have purchased special decontamination machines.
‘The current cleaning service works on a two-hour rotation policy where toilets are checked, but with the appointment of the new company, we will ensure checks are done more frequently.
‘We face several issues as a hospital as people also dispose newspaper and sanitary towels in the toilets, which is problematic.
‘We do welcome criticism as it allows for improvement. We appreciate the concerns raised by the community and we are strengthening our weekend services.
‘We have a complaints management procedure on site. Complainants are welcome to approach the matron, CEO or medical manager.
‘We have a hands-on management team and a quality manager who conducts regular walkabouts at random.
‘We check wards, patients, medication, emergency cupboards and weekend absenteeism.’ said Dr Popa.
http://zululandobserver.co.za/62566/hospital-clears-out-toilet-mess/![]()
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