Temba Santa TB Hospital’s new early-discharge policy could lead to a TB outbreak, warns board chairperson Xolani Simakuhle. The provincial health department has confirmed that patients are now being sent home before their treatment is complete.
Temba Santa TB Hospital’s new early-discharge policy could lead to a TB outbreak, warns board chairperson Xolani Simakuhle. The provincial health department has confirmed that patients are now being sent home before their treatment is complete.
Simukuhle said that the hospital has resorted to limiting beds to numbers that the staff can cope with. The hospital has a shortage of nurses and porters, and will be without a full-time doctor by next month.
“This could result in Makana having a TB crisis,” Simakuhle warned. “The bed limitation will impact very badly on the community, because TB could spread to the people of Makana.”
Western Cape Ministry of Health stated that the national incidence of TB is 823 per capita. In the Eastern Cape, this number rises to 960 per capita.
Simukuhle said they need the Department of Health to give them the nod to absorb nurses who are on contract.
“Dr Santhia, from Settlers’ Hospital, has agreed to assist while the department is in a process of appointing a new doctor. But we will still need a hospital manager,” he said.
Patient discharge
Temba Santa has already started to discharge patients.
“Those patients can take treatment from their nearest clinics – but not every patient will be responsible enough. Some could default in the treatment because no one is supervising them. This could impact badly on the community, because cases of MDR TB could happen,” Simakuhle said.
Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB often develops as a result of patients not completing their treatment and the pathogen becoming resistant to the front-line treatment options. Simakuhle said the hospital’s shortage meant the patient load would shift to local clinics.
Temba Santa has three professional nurses, who work on a week-long roster, around the clock.
“They are under severe stress,” he said. “Only [severely ill]patients who need injections every day will be left in the hospital as in-patients.”
A staffing task team has been set up. “We have sent these requests to the MEC and we will send them to the premier and all the department of health officials,” Simakuhle said.
“Our priority as the board is to serve the interests of the community.”
Staffing crisis
He said the task team was also considering recruiting primary healthcare workers. “But they can’t do that for free. They will need an incentive,” he said.
Temba Santa’s staffing crisis has worsened this year. Earlier this month the health department said staff shortages were a problem all over the Eastern Cape and that they were addressing these.
Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape’s Department of Health Sizwe Kupelo confirmed yesterday that patients had been discharged early from Temba.
“The department is aware of the situation. TB patients who are not very ill do not need admission and they… continue collecting from the nearest facilities whilst in the communities and that includes MDR-TB,” said Kupelo.
He said this was in line with the newly introduced community based care approach. He denied that it was risky to send patients home because they were given health education during their stay in the hospital and on discharge education on treatment adherence was intensified.
“The patients are referred to local health facilities for continuity of care. Patients, their families and communities are given health talks on… infection control…” said Kupelo.
Kupelo said the department was in the process of appointing an additional doctor and nurses.
