Water crisis hits Nyangabgwe

Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in Francistown has been faced with a severe shortage of water since last week Thursday after the construction company of the graded intersection commonly known as the spaghetti junction cut off the main water supply line.

This was apparently done after the team discovered that the hospital water supply line was on their construction map but they did not alert the hospital authority well on time. When The Midweek Sun arrived at the hospital this Tuesday afternoon, all the taps were dry. A Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) employee stood next to one of the taps waiting for the arrival of a truck which he said fetches water from Blue Town location. He told this publication that the water tank which was allegedly filled by WUC last week Friday was already empty.

A nurse stationed at the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity said that since the water supply was abruptly cut off, operation rooms, the kitchen, the mortuary and the laundry sections were adversely affected as they need a lot of water on a daily basis. “Blankets are dirty as there is no enough water to do the laundry in the process jeopardizing the health of patients who are admitted in large numbers. Operations carried out under such conditions can only pose a threat to the lives of patients who also need water when they go to the toilet. It has been a very distressing week for them since most of the time they find no water in the toilets,” the nurse said.

The hospital’s Public Relations Officer Shirley Mukamambo admitted that the hospital is besieged by water shortage but they were trying their best to bring the situation under control. She informed The Midweek Sun that the hard hit areas were the upper floors where water from the reservoir tank cannot reach. “I have to admit that we have a serious problem at the hospital but we are trying to control it as we are working hand in hand with the construction company to bring the situation under control as soon as possible. Our bed capacity accommodates 400 to 500 patients  and the facilities in Francistown and surrounding areas have a low capacity hence we are frequently transporting our laundry to Mahalapye Hospital due to their low capacity.

As for patients who are admitted on the upper floors, we physically transport water to them and those who can afford to walk are escorted down stairs in the event they want to use the toilet,” she said. She revealed that even cooking for patients has become a mammoth task they have been struggling with since last week.  “The construction company has promised us that they will bring the situation under control and we are praying for that to happen as our mandate as a referral hospital is to save lives.

Had it not been for one of the bouzers to have a breakdown, the situation could be manageable at this present moment. Members of the public should understand our situation as we are faced with a situation which is beyond our control, but as life savers, we are doing our best for the situation to be rescued,” Mukamambo said.