Military health steps in as overloaded Mahikeng hospital struggles
Although healthcare workers are returning to work at Mahikeng hospital, the increased patient load means waiting times are much longer that usual
The provision of public healthcare in the North West remained under strain on Monday as, with the aid of the military health services, Mahikeng provincial hospital tried to cater for the needs of patients ordinarily served by other hospitals and clinics. A strike by workers at the Mahikeng pharmacy depot in late February rapidly evolved into a more general healthcare worker strike that resulted in province-wide medicine shortages. The strike, led by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, was accompanied by violent protests and aimed to remove premier Supra Mahumapelo. The instability in the province prompted Cabinet to place the provincial health department under national administration last week.At that stage, 26 out of 91 clinics and two of the five hospitals in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district alone were closed, according to Medicines Sans Frontières (MSF).The 84-bed Zeerust hospital and 105-bed Lehurutshe hospital remained closed on Monday, said MSF spokesperso...
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