DA raises alarm over rising infections in Gauteng hospitals

THE Democratic Alliance has sounded the alarm over what it calls a “growing health crisis” in Gauteng’s public hospitals, where an increasing number of patients are reportedly contracting new infections due to unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and neglect.

- MASABATA MKWANANZI

This revelation follows a DA inquiry in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, which revealed that 7,743 patients acquired nosocomial infections while receiving care in public hospitals in 2024, many of them antibiotic-resistant and potentially life-threatening.

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, explained that the infections, known as nosocomial infections, occur when patients contract illnesses during their hospital stay that are unrelated to their original condition.

He pointed out that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) had the highest incidence, with 1,473 out of 12,940 patients in 2024 contracting nosocomial infections, an alarming 11%, meaning roughly one in every ten patients was affected.

Bloom also stated that nosocomial infections are more prevalent in higher-level hospitals due to the nature of their work, treating more complex cases, longer patient stays, frequent invasive procedures, and increased antibiotic use. He lamented that many of these infections are easily preventable with proper hygiene and stricter infection control measures.