Nurses at the Kutama Clinic say they are very concerned about the conditions at the clinic as the facility has not had water for months. They claim that they must bring their own drinking water to work and fetch buckets of water from outside taps to flush the toilets. The staff members say that they are equally concerned about how this situation affects the patients.
One of the nurses, who asked not to be named, told Limpopo Mirror that the clinic has not had water in four months. "We can't even wash newborn babies, and unfortunately, many of them get discharged still covered in blood. We are extremely worried because infection control is compromised, and there's little we can do. It is becoming difficult for us to work under these conditions because of the water shortage at the clinic, even though it has two boreholes. We are really concerned about diseases spreading. The situation is very tense."
The nurse said the hospital was dependent on water being delivered by the Vhembe District Municipality. This supply, however, is only a fraction of the quantity of water used by the clinic's units every day.
The local Department of Health's spokesperson, Mr Thilivhali Muavha, said that although they were deeply concerned about the situation, water supply to the clinic did not fall under its responsibilities. "We are very worried about the lack of water at the clinic, but it is not our issue to solve. The Vhembe District Municipality is responsible for supplying water to the communities," he said. "We are working closely with the municipality to ensure that we have sufficient water supplies while they try to solve the water crisis," he added.
One of the patients at the clinic, Mr Samuel Mukhada, said that although he understood the situation, the staff could at least place buckets of water inside the ablution blocks. "I feel that, although they are experiencing challenges in terms of running water, they could at least have made an effort to provide some buckets of water, so that we could flush the toilets."
He also complained that the clinic only had one pit toilet, with separate entrances for men and women. "Patients and nurses use the same toilet. The public is supposed to be washing their hands regularly, and the situation is really worse for the patients," he said.