Gauteng health dept says minimal damage at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital after fire

The Gauteng health department has assured that a fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital has caused minimal damage to the facility.

On Monday, a female psychiatric patient set her bed alight after demanding to be discharged by staff on duty.

She was unharmed during the incident, which occurred in a ward on the ninth floor of the building.

In a statement, the department added that patients had to be relocated to other wards for their safety.

While the recent fire is reported to be minimal, the hospital still needs R1.7 billion to be fully fire compliant as it continues to repair several blocks damaged by a fire in 2021.

Jack Bloom from the Democratic Alliance (DA) said that hospitals shouldn't be a fire hazard.

"A hospital like this should have sprinklers, they should have fire alerts, fire detection systems and proper gates that can shut off certain sections, the access doors to be able to shut off in the case of a major fire," Bloom said.