The Public Servants Association (PSA) is extremely concerned about the Free State Department of Health’s inadequate procurement of linen for hospitals and clinics since 2012.
 
The PSA has received distressing reports about the dire state of healthcare facilities, raising questions about the well-being of patients and the functionality of crucial hospital services. It has come to the PSA’s attention that hospitals and clinics are using worn-out linen, with a scarcity of available linen. Laundry cleaning services for hospital linen have also seen a decline, contributing to unsanitary conditions at healthcare facilities. Patients have been observed lying on the floors of clinics and hospitals, or on beds without linen. The situation at Boitumelo Hospital has reached a critical point, with reports indicating that the Hospital's operating theatre is non-functional. This poses a severe risk to patients in need of surgical interventions.
 
One of the root causes for this situation is the reduced budget allocated for laundry services. Consequently, hospitals are struggling to procure essential linens, exacerbating already challenging conditions faced by healthcare professionals. Furthermore, a recent PSA report highlights collapsing healthcare services at MUCPP Clinic in Rocklands owing to a shortage of doctors and nursing personnel.
 
The PSA has urged the Head of Department (HOD) to address these issues, which directly impact the health and safety of employees and the well-being of the community. Considering these alarming reports, the PSA formally requests the HOD to confirm that these concerns are unfounded. The Department is called upon to furnish the PSA with documents detailing the procurement of linen, the quantity supplied to hospitals and clinics in the past five years, and the current list of vacant positions in healthcare facilities in the province.
 
The PSA emphasizes the urgency of this matter and requests a prompt response from the HOD to ensure the well-being of patients and the efficient functioning of healthcare services in the Free State.

Issued by Public Servants Association