Staff shortage, number of deaths, pregnant women related deaths, increase in admissions, and patients leaving the hospital without being officially discharged were some of the issues raised during a quarterly meeting held recently at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH).
Hospital board chairperson, Sarojini Govender, said that staff shortage at the hospital was also addressed. “It was mentioned that appointments of applicants is a long process because every application has to get documented and this delays the process.” She said pregnant women related deaths are a major concern. “These patients generally come from feeder clinics rushed to MGMH. Some of the reasons for the deaths are the mothers not taking their ARVs, which puts them at danger during birth and the mother’s belief in traditional medicines before coming to deliver at the hospital which creates complications. Mothers are advised at the antenatal checks but they, at times, still believe in traditional medicines. The other related deaths is also around referrals from clinics which is not necessarily the carelessness of the hospital,” explained Govender.
She added that in recent times, the unrest added to the number of deaths. “The hospital has only 100 beds and during Covid-19 it has to follow the regulations. Patients are not supposed to be at the hospital for more than five days and critical patients are transferred to other hospitals. The inflation of admissions increased due to the Covid-19 third wave. During the unrest only two nursing staff were at the hospital together with the hospital CEO due to roads blocked and not having access to work. These people worked 24/7 of which they had no facilities to live in. A proposal was made to address the issue in case of future emergencies.” Govender said the number of Covid-19 deaths from 2020 to current was not much different from private hospitals. She said deaths were due to 80% of the people having prior underlying conditions, with high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels which can be controlled by the patients by not defaulting on medications.
