GP Health resolving Bara laundry challenges

The Gauteng Department of Health has sought to assure residents that it has implemented measures to ensure the provision of clean linen to patients at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. This after images of piled up linen emerged on social media at the hospital premises. The department attributed the crisis to a breakdown of in-house laundry machines that has led to unwashed laundry piles up at the laundry of the hospital.“As previously alluded to, the facility’s laundry has ageing infrastructure which requires an overhaul. In the meantime, a service provider has been appointed to carry out repairs on the laundry equipment to restore full functionality as quickly as possible. Currently three tunnel washers are out of service, with only five driers operational in tunnel washer number two. Already one out of four ironers, has been successfully repaired,” said the department spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba. In addition, Modiba said the original equipment manufacturer is working to repair two other ironers, and they’re confident that the situation would be resolved soon. Modiba highlighted that in the interim, the hospital linens are being laundered at Dunswart Provincial Laundry daily to ensure a consistent supply of clean linen to patients. They have also re-arranged the staff shifts to remedy the situation. “A total of 106 staff members are deployed at the laundry to boost the operation during the day and night shifts. Additionally, external two laundry service providers have also been appointed to further support these efforts. Already two five-ton trucks have delivered clean linen over the weekend,” explained Modiba. The hospital provide linen for its 2888 beds, but also services facilities including Carletonville Hospital, Bheki Mlangeni Hospital as well as the 33 Community Health Centres in Soweto, Emergency Medical Services as well as Forensic Pathology Service. The department emphasized that it has put a solid plan in place to ensure that soiled linen can be replaced quickly in a much faster turnaround time by the 13th of December 2024. Unions and nurses have raised concerns about infection control, cleanliness and low staff morale at the hospital caused by the crisis and called on the department to urgently resolve it.