Patients at RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth are being harassed by monkeys that snatch their food and make their stay a nightmare.
This is according to two unions, patients and visitors who spoke to “The Mercury” this week.
Ayanda Zulu, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), said the monkeys on the premises had been a challenge for years.
“We even had a march in the last quarter of 2023 about the issue of monkeys because it is not acceptable for monkeys to be inside wards where there are people who are seriously sick.
“I am sure the SPCA can come up with mechanisms to keep the monkeys out of the hospital,” he said.
A source who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals said she went to visit a relative at the hospital and was not pleased by what she saw.
“I could not even sleep well after I visited my mother-in-law and saw how terrifying the monkeys were. They were snatching food from patients who are sick, some who can not even walk and there is nothing they can do,” she said.
She said patients had to come up with ways to deal with this issue.
“I saw that when monkeys get inside the wards, some patients just cover themselves with bed sheets, and others just get up from their beds and wait in the passages until the monkeys leave. Also, when their families bring them food, they hide it under their beds and sheets,” she said.
“The Mercury” on Tuesday spoke to people outside the hospital as they were leaving and they confirmed that monkeys inside the hospital were harassing patients.
The KZN provincial chairperson of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), Sibonelo Cele, said the monkeys had been a problem for a long time, but it seemed that the situation had worsened.
“The greatest concern is that there is a chance of infections and diseases spreading within the hospital because these are wild animals,” said Cele.
KZN Department of Health spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said systems were in place to keep the monkeys out of the building.
“Like many built-up residential areas in and around Durban, Chatsworth has a high population of monkeys, which predates RK Khan Hospital,” Maphisa said.
“That notwithstanding, the hospital has taken stringent and effective measures to prevent the monkeys from gaining access to the hospital, especially the wards.
“The department wishes to caution any individuals against attempting to politicise or blow up this matter out of proportion, making it seem like nothing has been done to manage the situation effectively when nothing could be further from the truth.”
The Mercury