The Mediclinic Victoria Hospital, in Tongaat, has been put under the spotlight after a scaffolding, at their construction site, collapsed resulting in the death of a man and injuring two others in a horrific incident, on Wednesday, 8 March.
The construction site at the hospital was put into place as part of a long-term project to expand the hospital, however this has caused much concern surrounding its safety for workers and patients alike. One of the patients at the hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said after the scaffolding collapsed many patients are now afraid that the construction site might pose as a risk factor.
He said: “Proper investigations need to be conducted as a life has been lost and people were injured it is scary as these people were just doing their jobs and something so unfortunate happened. From my knowledge, one of the injured men sustained extreme injuries and had to be airlifted to receive treatment and sadly passed away. My question is that if there is a construction site, shouldn’t there have been safety checks done before work was started on that day. This is a very heartbreaking incident and I hope that this does not happen again.”
The Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, Gerrit de Villiers, confirmed the incident. He said: “Mediclinic can confirm that on Wednesday, 8 March, an unfortunate incident occurred at Mediclinic Victoria where scaffolding used by an on-site independent contractor collapsed, injuring three individuals.”
“Two individuals were immediately treated within the Mediclinic Victoria Emergency Centre, while the third injured worker was airlifted to an alternate medical facility to receive the appropriate level of care. Sadly, one patient passed away as a result of injuries sustained. The incident has been investigated by the relevant safety authorities and Mediclinic is actively assisting in the investigation.”
He added that the construction is part of long-term improvements being made at Mediclinic Victoria in order to expand the range of services offered, as well as improve the overall patient experience.
“We remain committed to safety within our facilities and can confirm that normal operations within the hospital have not been impacted by the incident. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends during their time of loss,” said de Villiers.
Tongaat Civic Association Chairperson, Don Perumal, said the association is saddened by the loss of a life. “It is always tragic when a person loses their lives whilst at work and Im sure that the contractor and those involved that was on site does everything in their power to ensure the safety of their workers and all the necessary health and safety regulations were followed. From what I’ve been told there were three people in the incident regarding a collapse of a scaffolding. Whenever there is loss of life there is an impact on family, friends and colleagues and we pray that the company is able to recover from such a loss and the project is further scrutinised to make sure all safety regulations are followed,” said Perumal.
Tongaat SAPS Communications Officer, Warrant Officer Manisha Maharaj-Marie, confirmed that an inquest has been opened and is currently under investigation.
