“When I arrived in the ward, there was chaos and there weren’t enough nurses to handle the high volume of patients who were coming in and out, and even the one doctor and two nurses available were overwhelmed.”
This was the description given by a nurse who was called to assist at Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal where 15 patients died of cholera-related illnesses at the weekend. About 40 patients were admitted for cholera on Sunday and about 100 that were seen presented symptoms of the sickness.
The volunteer nurse who spoke to Sowetan yesterday said he was among the group that heeded the call to assist at Jubilee Hospital on Saturday.
He said nothing could have prepared him for his arrival. “When I arrived there was only one doctor and two enrolled nurses in the ward dedicated to cholera patients. The ward that I was placed in was packed and without enough hands to assist with the patients that needed attention. There’s still chaos even now and it’s very bad,” he said.
“The hospital was packed ... not equipped to handle the number [of patients]. My initial reaction was to assist as best as I could. It’s a matter of moving fast and being on your feet because of the number of people that kept coming in and needing help,” he added.
There was also an influx of ambulances that seemed not to stop.
“It’s an overwhelming situation and you would think you would get used to it, but it’s still overwhelming now for both the patients and nurses.”
The volunteer said some patients looked frightened and confused. A nurse who works at the hospital on a full-time basis said the ward where the cholera patients were kept could only take 15 people at a time but it accommodated triple that number.
“There are more than 45 patients as I speak, who are waiting to be attended to. Patients, many of whom are weak, sit on chairs and wait, some for hours.
“Some get their drips while they are on the chairs, some just sleep on the chairs. Nurses have their hands full. I have never seen something like this.”
So overcrowded is the ward that the hospital has created an overflow ward where some patients are taken for admissions.
Nurses stretched as Hammanskraal cholera patients flock the hospital
Patients sit on chairs, wait for hours for help at hospital
Image: Noxolo Sibiya
“When I arrived in the ward, there was chaos and there weren’t enough nurses to handle the high volume of patients who were coming in and out, and even the one doctor and two nurses available were overwhelmed.”
This was the description given by a nurse who was called to assist at Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal where 15 patients died of cholera-related illnesses at the weekend. About 40 patients were admitted for cholera on Sunday and about 100 that were seen presented symptoms of the sickness.
The volunteer nurse who spoke to Sowetan yesterday said he was among the group that heeded the call to assist at Jubilee Hospital on Saturday.
He said nothing could have prepared him for his arrival. “When I arrived there was only one doctor and two enrolled nurses in the ward dedicated to cholera patients. The ward that I was placed in was packed and without enough hands to assist with the patients that needed attention. There’s still chaos even now and it’s very bad,” he said.
“The hospital was packed ... not equipped to handle the number [of patients]. My initial reaction was to assist as best as I could. It’s a matter of moving fast and being on your feet because of the number of people that kept coming in and needing help,” he added.
There was also an influx of ambulances that seemed not to stop.
“It’s an overwhelming situation and you would think you would get used to it, but it’s still overwhelming now for both the patients and nurses.”
The volunteer said some patients looked frightened and confused. A nurse who works at the hospital on a full-time basis said the ward where the cholera patients were kept could only take 15 people at a time but it accommodated triple that number.
“There are more than 45 patients as I speak, who are waiting to be attended to. Patients, many of whom are weak, sit on chairs and wait, some for hours.
“Some get their drips while they are on the chairs, some just sleep on the chairs. Nurses have their hands full. I have never seen something like this.”
So overcrowded is the ward that the hospital has created an overflow ward where some patients are taken for admissions.
Amnesty International slams 15 cholera deaths in Hammanskraal
Free State on alert as cholera cases grow
Gift of the Givers drops off thousands of bottles of water in Hammanskraal
DA in Tshwane slams ANC for 'playing political games' amid cholera outbreak
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos