Storm aftermath forces evacuation of patients at Bhisho Hospital

Patients in the Eastern Cape are being moved to other facilities after the Bhisho Hospital was affected by a storm.

This week's extreme weather left the facility without water and electricity.

While power was restored on Wednesday, the hospital’s generators failed to kick in on Thursday, leaving parts of the labour ward in darkness.

The Eastern Cape Health Department's Siyanda Manana said hospital management is also attending to damaged water infrastructure.

“The municipal water has been restored by the municipality, but will take some hours to reach the hospital reticulation.”

Manana added that the department is in the process of procuring the services of a cleaning company to help.

“The department, in the interest of ensuring that the patients receive clinical care, has commenced decanting patients to surrounding facilities like Cecilia Makiwane and SS Gida.  The staff at Bhisho Hospital are on standby to deal with any emergencies that may arise at the facility.”