THE Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital has been hit by a shortage of water, with patients relying on relatives to bring them the drinking commodity since last week.

A stench now envelopes the wards and patients have been unable to wash for days.

The hardest hit patients are those in a serious or critical condition, who rely on nurses to be helped with their toilet needs.

Linen for patients could also not be changed because the laundry room became dysfunctional as a result of the water shortage. This has angered the relatives of patients.

Terence Netshiombo, whose father has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, described the situation as very sad.

"I went to the hospital and found there was no water," he said. "My father complained that he had not had any water to drink for the whole day.

"I became very worried when there was no water for a week. I had to buy him bottled water for drinking."

Other relatives said some of their loved ones had not bathed for days. They also pointed out the health hazard the water shortage posed.

Some nurses, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, placed the blame at the door of hospital management, who were "well aware" of the general problem with the water supply in Louis Trichardt.

"This problem could have been avoided long ago had the authorities made alternative arrangements such as drilling boreholes," one nurse said.

Limpopo health spokesman Phuti Seloba said MEC Norman Mabasa would meet mayors in a bid to exempt hospitals from water rationing by municipalities.