We are not to be blamed!!!

Nurses are most of the time the people who get blamed for everything that goes wrong in hospitals, especially in the Nelson Mandela Bay, mainly because they are in the forefront. According to a student   nurse, who would like to remain unnamed, at Livingstone Hospital in the Bay; the Department of Health is to blame for the health system state in the Bay. 

Upon visitation to Livingstone Hospital on 21 March there were only two nurses on duty and two student nurses, per ward and there are 8 wards at the hospital, with 30-35 patients. Sister Ngotsha who was the sister in charge that day, said they are under staffed and there are a lot of sick people at the hospital, but the Department of Health is not employing more staff because they say they do not have the funds to do so. “Yes we want to help these people, but we only have two pairs of hands and cannot attend to everyone at the same time,” she said. The casualty of the hospital has turned into a ward, as there is an overflow at casualty. Comparing Greenacres Hospital casualty and Livingstone Hospital casualty would be like comparing two different things that do not go together. There are people at casualty who say they have been there for 3-5 days, and they have not been attended to. A casualty is a place where you wait to be attended to, not a ward. “I have been placed here by The Department of Social Development, they are looking for a home for me, and I’ve been here for a month now, staying here at the casualty.” Said Dumisani Njoli one of the many people at Livingstone casualty. Zandi Mphothulo a student nurse at Livingstone said although there is negligence by the nurses, but they are not to blame. “Dora Nginza Hospital does not have equipment, so their patients are sent to Livingstone which then causes the overflow in casualty, and nurses cannot be blamed for that, because it is the Departments duty to give equipment to public hospitals, and that is one thing that the Department should be taking care of 100%.” She said. Nurses are not acknowledged for the good they do, but are always criticized for not doing a good job an emotional Sister Ngotsha said. Livingstone Hospital is like most public hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay, they need more staff, more equipment and more attention from the Department of Health.