Mpumalanga Hospital Rob Ferreira battle’s theatre cooling crisis as the temperature soar.
Patients awaiting urgent operations face weeks of delays after sweltering conditions inside Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela forced doctors to postpone procedures.
An acting CEO and clinical manager Dr Tefo Mabina confirmed that the hospital has had challenges with regulating temperatures.
“Yes, we had problems this past week, but we had to postpone some of the surgeries to ensure the patient’s safety,” he said.
With increased temperatures in theatres, patients undergoing long procedures run the risk of contracting infections. Lower temperatures help slow down the potential growth of airborne microorganisms.
Mabina confirmed that the hospital has eight theatres with functional air conditioners and that the waiting time for procedures is two to six weeks.
