NEWS - NAMIBIA | 2013-07-31PILING UP
Toilet water inconvenience mothers
Theresia Tjihenuna
STAFF members and women in labour at the Katutura State Hospital’s maternity ward have to run around with basins of water to flush toilets after every use since the ward’s toilets have not been flushing for over a month.
STAFF members and women in labour at the Katutura State Hospital’s maternity ward have to run around with basins of water to flush toilets after every use since the ward’s toilets have not been flushing for over a month.
Despite the toilets being in constant use by patients, staff members say the problem has been ongoing for more than a month and nothing has been done to address the issue as yet.
“The toilets have not been flushing since I arrived here four days ago. We have to fetch water from other sources in order to flush the toilets,” one of the patients who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Nurses were hastily walking up and down the hallways carrying basins of water to flush toilets when The Namibian paid a visit at the busy ward yesterday.
Although staff members in the maternity ward say only the toilet flushing is the problem, The Namibian has it on good record that some rooms in the ward are without running water.
A nurse at the ward who chose to withhold her name said sometimes the ward does not have hot water and patients have to take the cold shower, or in some instances, do not bath at all.
She said pregnant women or mothers who have just given birth have to make the trip down the halls to fetch water from other rooms in order to flush toilets after using the facility. Even the ward’s examination room, where mothers-to-be are monitored does not have a flushing toilet and running water. The nurse also said due to the water shortage at the ward, dirty sheets have been piling-up for some time now.
“I personally think it is time the government built a new hospital because the current one has deteriorated. This building (hospital) is more than 30 years old and maintenance is very expensive, it is better to build a new hospital rather than spend a lot of money trying to maintain a hospital this old,” said the concerned nurse.
When approached for comment, the hospital’s medical superintendent, Georg Juddman said he can only answer The Namibian’s questions today as he was busy attending to important issues.
Despite the toilets being in constant use by patients, staff members say the problem has been ongoing for more than a month and nothing has been done to address the issue as yet.
“The toilets have not been flushing since I arrived here four days ago. We have to fetch water from other sources in order to flush the toilets,” one of the patients who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Nurses were hastily walking up and down the hallways carrying basins of water to flush toilets when The Namibian paid a visit at the busy ward yesterday.
Although staff members in the maternity ward say only the toilet flushing is the problem, The Namibian has it on good record that some rooms in the ward are without running water.
A nurse at the ward who chose to withhold her name said sometimes the ward does not have hot water and patients have to take the cold shower, or in some instances, do not bath at all.
She said pregnant women or mothers who have just given birth have to make the trip down the halls to fetch water from other rooms in order to flush toilets after using the facility. Even the ward’s examination room, where mothers-to-be are monitored does not have a flushing toilet and running water. The nurse also said due to the water shortage at the ward, dirty sheets have been piling-up for some time now.
“I personally think it is time the government built a new hospital because the current one has deteriorated. This building (hospital) is more than 30 years old and maintenance is very expensive, it is better to build a new hospital rather than spend a lot of money trying to maintain a hospital this old,” said the concerned nurse.
When approached for comment, the hospital’s medical superintendent, Georg Juddman said he can only answer The Namibian’s questions today as he was busy attending to important issues.
