INVESTIGATION AND ASSESSMENT NEEDED AFTER JOBURG HOSPITAL COLLAPSE
I am hugely relieved that there were no deaths from yesterday's collapse of part of the roof at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, and I wish the five injured people a speedy recovery.
This part of the hospital is normally very busy, with thousands of patients passing there every day, so the casualties could have been much higher.
An independent investigation is now needed into the causes of the collapse.
A structural engineering assessment must also be done urgently into other areas of the hospital that may be in danger of collapse.
There was a report in 2012 that warned about structural problems in the building and staff have complained for years about roofs that leak water and sewage.