The Gauteng Department of Health disputes media allegations that nurses are exposed to infections at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH).
According to reports, a nurse is currently being treated for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) at a private hospital and she alleges that she contracted the bacterium while working at CMJAH’s neurosurgery intensive care unit (ICU).
MRSA can either be contracted through physical contact with an infected person or physical contact with objects touched by an infected person.
The anonymous nurses quoted in the media reports allege that what puts them at risk is unfair delegation of duties as well as the fact that they are not given antibiotics to prevent them from being infected.
The Department is not aware of any nurse who contracted MRSA at CMJAH as this matter has not been officially reported to hospital management. The only nurse who is away at the neurosurgery ICU is on sick leave after she underwent a surgical operation at a private hospital.
“These allegations are untrue as no junior nurse dispenses medicine in this ward. Neurosurgery ICU is a highly specialised unit and it has a resident doctor on site at all times therefore no patient stays without being assessed for 10 days or more,” says Department spokesperson, Simon Zwane.
The ward in question is cleaned three times in a day with a mop and disinfectant solution. On discharge or death of a patient, curtains and all other items in the room are removed for washing and walls and floors are scrubbed.
Two cleaners are currently allocated in the ward and they are implementing the cleaning programme according to the standard above and they do this under the supervision of the infection control unit.
“The hospital strives on keeping patients and staff free from contracting infections in hospital premises and will continue to do so,” said Zwane.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
