Surgeons operate in dangerous heat as aircon broken at Charlotte Maxeke hospital

7 October 2022

Surgeons are operating in dangerously high heat in the theatres at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) as the air-conditioning broke down this week.

This is the second major hospital to experience air-conditioning failure in the recent hot weather as the chillers at the Steve Biko Hospital broke last week.

It is risky operating in high temperatures as it increases the risk of infection, but surgeons are reluctant to cancel operations at CMJH as there are long surgery waiting lists.

There needs to be a thorough overhaul of maintenance at our public hospitals, which are poorly served by the notoriously corrupt and incompetent Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development.

Major hospitals like CMJH and Steve Biko should be able to do their own maintenance and choose decent contractors who can do the job.

Devolving maintenance and minor capital works would also help with challenges like the water shortages experienced by the Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa hospitals.

Meanwhile, the major victims are patients whose operations are cancelled and staff who are stressed out of their minds by the poor conditions under which they work.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 7 October 2022