HRC must investigate human rights violations in filthy Pelonomi Hospital

18 September 2022

The DA has requested the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) to investigate the horrendous human rights violations we encountered on a recent oversight to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein.

The conditions at Pelonomi Hospital, once a top-class academic institution, put the health and well-being of patients and staff at risk. The infrastructure is neglected and crumbling, while the sewage system is in a dire state of disrepair with overflowing toilets and drains. See pictures here, here and here.

The staff raised a host of concerns during the DA’s oversight ranging from severe staff shortages – including cleaning staff – despite salaries being ring-fenced in the budget; limited access to working computers, telephones and the internet; outdated and broken equipment; lack of vital supplies; broken lifts; and the fact that no neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or theatre was built, despite budget allocations 12 years ago and the hospital’s extremely high infant mortality rate.

The 27 of the Constitution guarantees the right to health care services. The abhorrent conditions at Pelonomi Hospital undermine this right.

Issued by Michele Clarke, DA Shadow Minister of Health, 18 September 2022