An organised syndicate dealing in cable theft has plunged the Bongani Regional Hospital in Welkom into chaos. The syndicate has stolen cables supplying power to the hospital.
The provincial Department of Health says heartless criminals stole cables at midnight, plunging the hospital in disarray. Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the department, said the provincial department management was informed of cable theft at about 00:39.
He said emergency measures were taken to rescue patients in critical conditions and those on life support system.
“The hospital management took urgent measures, transferring patients who are under critical care to the nearby private hospitals. The department will continue to do risk assessments whilst also working hard with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the situation is brought under control,” said Mvambi.
He said Eskom came to the rescue by replacing the stolen cables, adding that the department was in the process of restoring critical health services at the hospital.
“We thank Eskom for their swift restorative actions and also our health workers who acted promptly to save lives and acted in the best interest of patients under very stressful conditions. The department is continuing with risk assessments,” said Godfrey Mahlatsi, the head of department.
The Free State MEC for Health, Montseng Tsiu has appealed to members of the community to help expose the heartless syndicate wreaking havoc. “Our community needs to work with government to ensure that criminals do not take over and kill vital services such as health and all those that are vital to human development.”
