Linen shortage at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital putting patients at risk

The ongoing linen crisis at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBH) highlights a public healthcare system in distress, where patients endure discomfort, infection risks, and delayed treatment due to basic supply failures.

The Department of Health previously cited outdated laundry machines, delays in finalising a bulk linen purchase, and a high patient load that accelerates linen wear and usage as reasons for the shortage.

Democratic Alliance Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom revealed that 860 beds at CHBH lack full linen sets, heightening infection risks, causing discomfort for patients, delaying bed turnover, and increasing the workload for nursing and cleaning staff.

Bloom added that, according to Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, every hospital bed should have at least five complete sets of each linen category to allow for rotation, on the bed, in laundry, in storage, in transit, and as contingency stock. The linen categories include flat sheets, fitted sheets, blankets, pillowcases, counterpanes or bedcovers, and patient gowns or pyjamas.

“Each bed should have 2 sheets (1 fitted, 1 flat), a blanket, pillowcase, a counterpane or bedcover, and one patient gown/pyjama per day.”

He revealed that although flat sheets and blankets are sufficient, there are zero fitted sheets, and significant shortages of pyjamas, counterpanes, and pillowcases.

“There should ideally be 14 440 stocks of each linen category for the 2888 beds at the hospital, but whereas there are 14 902 flat sheets and 17 524 blankets, there are zero (0) fitted sheets, and only 10 239 pyjamas, 4517 counterpanes, and 1272 pillowcases.” Bloom said.

He added that the department admitted that around 650 beds have only one sheet due to rotation pressures and supply constraints. 

Bloom said the department had initially denied any linen shortages but has since acknowledged the crisis at CHBH. He stressed that waiting until next year for full supplies, even with emergency orders underway, was unacceptable given the 1,796 hospital-acquired infections already recorded.

“This is not good enough. Of particular concern is the risk of infection, which is already high with 1796 hospital-acquired infections at CHBH out of 31 985 admissions last year. It should not take six months to buy more linen. The inability to fix this simple problem shows incredibly poor management,” he shared.

A patient, speaking on condition of anonymity after giving birth at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in July, said she had to bring her own blankets as the hospital only provided sheets. 

“When I asked for a blanket, I was given just a sheet. Other patients were facing the same problem,” she said.

This is not CHBH’s first linen crisis. In 2024, The Star reported staff and patient complaints about shortages. A 28-year-old male patient, speaking anonymously, said he had not seen any laundry collection during his two-week stay, forcing patients to use dirty linen as pyjamas. The persistent problem even drove two patients to leave the hospital prematurely.

In May, Saturday Star highlighted the severe linen shortages at CHBH, which persisted despite brief relief when a limited supply of clean sheets reached some wards after two weeks. An anonymous staff member confirmed the chaos, citing ongoing staff shortages, frequent load shedding, and malfunctioning laundry machines both in the hospital and at the Dunswart facility, worsening the crisis.

The linen crisis stretches far beyond Baragwanath. The Dunswart provincial laundry, tasked with supplying Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Tambo Memorial, Tembisa Hospital, 25 clinics, and Gauteng EMS, is crippled, functioning at just 75% of its capacity, leaving hospitals and clinics grappling with insufficient linen.

Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba insisted that the department has never downplayed the linen crisis, stressing that it has always been transparent about the challenges and the steps being taken to resolve them.

“There is availability of baseline (minimum) linen; however, this is not at an ideal capacity, hence the focus is on building a linen bank to ensure that we have excess capacity.”

As of December 2024, the department said they have been transparent and are making every effort to bring urgent interventions to the situation.

He confirmed that the Gauteng Department of Health has been allocated R100 million by the National Department of Health for the 2025/26 financial year as part of a recapitalisation programme to refurbish and replace outdated critical equipment in hospitals. Of this allocation, R50 million is specifically earmarked to address laundry machinery challenges across facilities in the province.

At the same time, the department dismissed what it called misleading claims previously stated by Bloom that patients at Soweto's Bheki Mlangeni Hospital had been sleeping on mattress plastic covers for two months. 

“The pictures shared with the media by Dr Bloom are not a true depiction of the reality at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital,” Modiba said. “The facility has no wards with the same paint or floors as those shown in the photos.”

To strengthen infection control in public hospitals, the department organised a dedicated Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) committee to enforce IPC guidelines across the province. 

Modiba said the committee meets monthly to identify and address challenges faced by facilities, underscoring the department’s commitment to tackling both the linen shortage and broader hospital hygiene concerns.

The Star

masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za