[imagesource: Denvor de Wee/Spotlight]

Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng has been lampooned on Twitter of late.

A number of signs with laughable spelling errors made their way into the hospital, and they’re enough to leave you scratching your head and then getting a little worried as you realise the potential consequences of such shoddy work.

The South African reported that Jack Bloom, the Shadow Health MEC for Gauteng, was informed of the mistakes earlier in the week.

Bloom took to Twitter to demand a response from the public health institution:

I’ve been sent these atrocious signs in a Gauteng hospital, it’s possibly Helen Josrph but can anyone confirm? pic.twitter.com/7sl23Vrbsv

— Jack Bloom (@JackBloomDA) September 13, 2022

That’s “palliance care” instead of palliative care, “dinning wall” instead of dining hall, and “anaestheasia” instead of anaesthesia.

Helen Joseph Hospital responded to being called out and confirmed that the issue had been rectified:

The signage was put up a few weeks ago and was immediately corrected after the errors were identified. See updated images below. pic.twitter.com/cfDVth6TNf

— Helen Joseph Hospital (@HelenJosephHos) September 13, 2022

The politician was visibly worried about the larger context, and followed up by asking how the horrendous mistakes happened in the first place and if there was any extra cost:

“We need to know what fishy company got the contract for this sign, why they were so incompetent and what they were paid for it. Is this another corrupt institution like Tembisa Hospital, which grossly overpaid for items such as skinny jeans and luxury armchairs?”

You can read about that damning situation here before Bloom goes on:

“I am determined to get to the bottom of this matter. There is far too much abuse of hospital money while patients suffer because of poor care. We need to know what company did the signage, how much was paid to them, and if there will be any consequences.”

It is a worrying sign indeed. If a hospital struggles to manage its contractors properly, you can only imagine the kind of mismanagement that can happen on the floor.

In fact, News24 reported that some Gauteng public hospital staff are working in fear, including those at Helen Joseph Hospital.

According to a statement by Bloom, Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi revealed that several staffers were “allegedly slapped, punched or bitten in 43 attacks by psychiatric patients at 17 public hospitals since January last year”:

As a result, the DA has proposed that Gauteng public hospital safety audits be conducted and that adequate precautions be taken to ensure the safety of personnel and patients.

This proposal comes nearly six months after News24 reported that psychiatric patients at Helen Joseph Hospital assaulted 32 staff members and caused extensive damage to property in the past year.

This is a problem that is affecting hospitals across the region.

Bloom says it points to “yet another failing of a department plagued by mismanagement and rampant corruption”.

[sources:southafrican&news24]