Hospitals buckle under pressure
A bath is used to store water. It’s filled up whenever there is supply and then staff members use a small bucket to scoop some out to flush toilets and wash their hands. This is how health workers at the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) facility in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape survive, as there is no running water at the facility.
“We do what we can. Even making a cup of tea here is a mission,” said one of the staff members at the EMS who spoke on condition of anonymity, describing their situation as far from ideal.
The facility also does not have enough ambulances – it only has three of the five it’s supposed to have, with one used for Covid-19
