letters to the editor - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E Rstories from 2007Protecting Human RightsBy Nomonde Vuthela (published inSA Soldier: July 2007, page 18)Photo: Cpl Elias MahumaProviding media coverage onSANDF members deployed atthe Chris Hani BaragwanathHospital, affectionately knownas "Bara" to most SouthAfricans, has got to be one ofmy most intense experiences yet. "Bara"Hospital is the largest hospital in Africawith about 88 patient wards, but theunforeseen and unpredictable publicservice national strike brought the enormousinstitute to a virtual standstill.The wage dispute between the"Government" and "workers" who putdown tools and went on protest marchesmeant that all things stopped moving.Heeding the call to provide damagecontrol the South African MilitaryHealth Service (SAMHS) deployedmost of its members to public hospitalswhere the sick were left in dire straits.The visit of SA Soldier on 19 June 2007to 8 Medical Battalion Unit erectedinside the "Bara" Hospital grounds inresponse to the state of emergency isprobably the closest I will ever come toa scenario overflowing with casualties,like the battlefield makeshift hospitals Ihave seen so often in movies.The Officer Commanding 8 MedicalBattalion, Col Gustave Erlank, told theSA Soldier team that on an average daythe hospital has around 2 000 bedpatients. On the day that we visited, thenumber had dropped to 1 100. "Thematernity ward was the busiest sectionThe unforeseen and unpredictable public servicenational strike brought the largest hospital in Africawith about 88 patient wards, to a virtual standstill.Military Skills Development System (MSDS) members from theSAMHS Training Formation in Pretoria prepare for a day's workbefore leaving the women's sleeping ward.all along," according to the Officer inCharge, who added that the maternityand gynaecology wards were thebiggest in terms of space, volume anddemand, with almost 50 "normal" birthsa day, excluding the caesarean sectionpatients.8 Medical Battalion had already seentwo weeks of deployment by 19 June2007, with a total of 117 staff membersworking two twelve-hour shifts, aroundthe clock. He added: "We are handlingthis as a military operation even thoughwe are giving health support to the hospital.We have an Operations Roomwhere we receive requirements fromthe hospital on what personnel andmedical assistance is needed in thewards."The unit members also transported thedead from the ward to the morgue. ColErlank continued: "Most of the work isconcerned with casualties. There wasalso a big need for the laundry to getdone and a lot of effort was also putinto the kitchens. The medical healthcore function is to look after peopleand to see to it that people's well-beingis taken care of, but we have also gotpsychologists and social workers towork with my members on a dailybasis."36• M A Y 2 0 1 1