For the past three weeks, the very foundation of modern healthcare has been crumbling at All Saints Hospital in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape. The hospital has been operating without a single drop of running water, forcing nurses, doctors, and even patients to fetch water from external JoJo tanks just to flush toilets and maintain basic hygiene.
The crisis has created an “unbearable” situation, according to staff who spoke on condition of anonymity. The air in parts of the hospital is engulfed in a foul stench, and healthcare professionals are struggling to provide care under conditions that fundamentally compromise patient safety and dignity.
A Desperate Daily Struggle
The reality inside the hospital is stark. Trained medical staff are being forced to abandon their posts to carry buckets of water.
“We are trying our best for the patients, but it’s heartbreaking to see sick people carrying buckets just to get basic water,” one nurse shared. The demoralizing task has become a daily routine, with one staff member revealing they were told by management that the hospital would not be held responsible if they were injured while fetching water.
The burden is also falling on the sick. “At times, patients are seen carrying 20-litre buckets to fetch water for flushing toilets and bathing,” another staff member confirmed. The situation is so dire that dirty hospital linen must be transported to Mjanyana Hospital, an hour away, to be washed.
A Recurring Nightmare
This is not a new problem. The hospital has battled intermittent water shortages for years. Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana confirmed the current crisis began after the hospital’s water pumps were damaged and vandalized.
This points to a deeper, systemic issue. Since 2022, the department has battled repeated theft and damage to the pumps that draw water from the Xuka River, with one pump stolen and the other rendered useless by sand blockage.
Emergency Measures and Long-Term Promises
In response, the department has activated emergency measures. This includes water carting, with 50,000 litres requested for delivery, and plans to install two new, protected deep-well submersible pumps with an automatic control system to prevent future downtime.
Manana stated that, thanks to these emergency deliveries, patient care has “remained partially uninterrupted,” with only dental services temporarily suspended. He assured that strict infection prevention measures are in place.
However, for the nurses carrying buckets and the patients bathing from them, the promises of a long-term fix offer little immediate comfort. The crisis at All Saints Hospital is a brutal reminder of how fragile essential services can be and the immense human cost when they fail. The hospital continues to admit new patients daily, even as its most basic resource continues to flow only from a plastic tank.
{Source: TimesLive}
