Former patients at Rob Ferreira hospital describe long delays, hygiene problems and calls for accountability

Former patients of Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela have spoken publicly about long-standing concerns over hygiene, delayed surgeries and poor patient care, saying recent building repairs prompted by a South African Human Rights Commission report will not fix underlying problems.

Patients recount unhygienic conditions and long waits for surgery

Elmarië Meyer van der Ham said she has been an outpatient at Rob Ferreira Hospital for 14 years and that standards there have declined.

“When I first went there, it was a very good hospital, but over the years it became worse,”

Van der Ham described her son’s 2020 admission, alleging his bedding had not been changed, contained bloodstains and used needles, and saying she had to clean him herself while he became severely underweight. She said doctors at Johannesburg General Hospital later expressed concern about his condition and that she documented the ordeal with photographs.

Gerda Labuschagne said problems dated back several years, and described a delayed operation for her mother: her mother reportedly broke her wrist in January 2015 but underwent surgery only at the end of August, a delay Labuschagne said left the right hand almost useless and led to job loss after multiple admissions without surgery.

Lezane Oosthuizen Fourie described recent conditions at the hospital as “very shocking”, alleging a lack of wheelchair-friendly toilets, broken doors, poor lighting and sanitation challenges.

Community reactions and demands for accountability

Views differed on the cause of the problems. Diane Rautenbach said state hospitals are dirty because of patient volume and noted she had seen emergency wards being deep-cleaned, adding that members of the public also bear responsibility for keeping facilities clean.

Dr Corné Ackermann questioned whether the latest SAHRC report would prompt meaningful change, noting previous investigations have led to little action. She asked,

“What has happened since the previous report?”

and

“Who will be held accountable for more than a decade of failure?”

Official response and publisher notes

According to The Citizen (Lowvelder), DoH spokesperson Chris Nobela acknowledged receipt of Lowvelder’s media enquiry regarding the allegations, but had not provided an official response by the time of publication.

According to The Citizen (Lowvelder), “At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention.”

According to The Citizen (Lowvelder), “Lowvelder provides an established product where distribution is guaranteed and you have the upper hand in readership figures. Research has shown that our community newspapers reach 75% of our market while any other daily, weekly or Sunday newspaper doesn’t exceed 20%.”

The patients’ accounts and comments from community members and clinicians reflect concerns that repairing infrastructure alone will not resolve issues around patient care, waiting times, cleanliness and accountability.