Inside Baragwanath Hospital: How a linen shortage exposed systemic failures

Source: Facebook/Baragwanath Academic Hospital.

The crisis stems from the breakdown of the hospital’s aging in-house laundry equipment, which has reached the end of its serviceable life despite multiple repair attempts.

To mitigate the situation, the department has implemented several emergency measures. Linen is now being outsourced to the Dunswart Provincial Laundry, with additional capacity added through two private laundry service providers. Furthermore, over 100 staff members have been deployed to manage laundry operations in shifts around the clock.

However, ongoing mechanical issues at Dunswart are straining the hospital’s ability to maintain a consistent supply of clean bedding, leading to cancelled non-urgent surgeries and increased risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Calls for accountability

Infection control and hygiene standards have come under scrutiny, with the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) expressing grave concerns over the conditions on the ground.

In response to the growing pressure, a business case has been submitted to the Gauteng Provincial Treasury and the National Department of Health for the procurement of new laundry machinery. Approval has been secured from the national department, and installation will commence once funding is allocated.

The Democratic Alliance has called for accountability, questioning the hospital’s management and pointing to alleged irregularities in the appointment of the current chief executive officer. It argues that systemic inefficiencies and poor planning are at the heart of the crisis.

Strengthening healthcare systems

The linen shortage at CHBAH highlights critical gaps in infrastructure maintenance and procurement processes within public healthcare. With the hospital serving a large portion of the Gauteng population, the need for robust systems to support essential services such as laundry cannot be overstated.

This incident underscores the importance of proactive asset management, sustainable procurement strategies, and contingency planning across South Africa’s healthcare infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted patient care.

The healthcare sector will be watching closely as the department moves to implement longer-term solutions to prevent similar crises in future.