Pretoria - Relief is in sight for 29 orthopaedic patients, whose surgeries had been delayed at Tembisa Hospital due to a breakdown in the cooling system.
The patients were moved this weekend to other hospitals in the province so they could be attended to. Doctors decided to delay non-emergency operations as the cooling system failure affected theatres.
The Department of Infrastructure Development has in the meantime appointed a contractor to do the repairs, which could take up to two weeks.
Health and Social Development MEC Ntombi Mekgwe paid a surprise visit to the hospital on Friday to see what was being done about the problem.
The process of transferring the patients started with a patient with neck injuries, who was airlifted to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, with four others being transferred by ambulance.
Other patients were transferred to Steve Biko Hospital in Tshwane.
The department has placed four regional hospitals on standby to assist Tembisa if need be.
