Shocking lack of infection control at hospital
Cleaning staff at the Katutura State Hospital say utensils used by patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB) are mixed with those used by other patients.
They accuse the hospital's management of instructing kitchen staff to use the same cups and plates for all the wards.
In a petition that the staff compiled to hand over to health permanent secretary Andreas Mwoombola on Monday, the workers said the hospital management was in shambles.
They could not hand over the petition as Mwoombola requested them to write a letter explaining the contents of the petition.
Mwoombola, in the meantime, is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
Acting permanent secretary Petronella Masabane confirmed that the workers yesterday arrived at her office “unannounced” to discuss their complaints.
The workers are represented by the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu).
According to shop steward Paulina Shumbwa, who spoke on behalf of the workers, the TB ward has its own kitchen but it has not been used for a while.
“The TB ward is isolated, which means it must have its own cups and plates. The catering staff even suggested to the management that foam cups and plates be used but the management refused.
“It is really a worrisome situation, some of the patients vomit in their cups and plates and cleaners are exposed to the disease. Many of these patients have multidrug-resistant TB...” she said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) multidrug-resistant TB is a strain of TB that does not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs.
“The kitchen cleaning staff only have four teaspoons of dishwashing liquid to clean the dishes for the entire hospital. [In fact] there are no cleaning materials in Katutura State Hospital at all.
“We have been using only green soap for the last five years. We requested soap but the management told us there was no money,” Shumbwa said.
The cleaning staff also questioned why the ministry insisted on retaining the cleaning company the government had contracted two years ago, despite the financial difficulties it was facing.
As a result the cleaning staff yesterday protested at the hospital demanding that the government terminate this contract immediately.
Masabane yesterday told Namibian Sun that the cleaning contract would expire on 30 November this year.
She referred questions regarding TB infection control at the Katutura State Hospital to Dr David Uirab, the hospital superintendent.
JEMIMA BEUKES
They accuse the hospital's management of instructing kitchen staff to use the same cups and plates for all the wards.
In a petition that the staff compiled to hand over to health permanent secretary Andreas Mwoombola on Monday, the workers said the hospital management was in shambles.
They could not hand over the petition as Mwoombola requested them to write a letter explaining the contents of the petition.
Mwoombola, in the meantime, is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
Acting permanent secretary Petronella Masabane confirmed that the workers yesterday arrived at her office “unannounced” to discuss their complaints.
The workers are represented by the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu).
According to shop steward Paulina Shumbwa, who spoke on behalf of the workers, the TB ward has its own kitchen but it has not been used for a while.
“The TB ward is isolated, which means it must have its own cups and plates. The catering staff even suggested to the management that foam cups and plates be used but the management refused.
“It is really a worrisome situation, some of the patients vomit in their cups and plates and cleaners are exposed to the disease. Many of these patients have multidrug-resistant TB...” she said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) multidrug-resistant TB is a strain of TB that does not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs.
“The kitchen cleaning staff only have four teaspoons of dishwashing liquid to clean the dishes for the entire hospital. [In fact] there are no cleaning materials in Katutura State Hospital at all.
“We have been using only green soap for the last five years. We requested soap but the management told us there was no money,” Shumbwa said.
The cleaning staff also questioned why the ministry insisted on retaining the cleaning company the government had contracted two years ago, despite the financial difficulties it was facing.
As a result the cleaning staff yesterday protested at the hospital demanding that the government terminate this contract immediately.
Masabane yesterday told Namibian Sun that the cleaning contract would expire on 30 November this year.
She referred questions regarding TB infection control at the Katutura State Hospital to Dr David Uirab, the hospital superintendent.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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