Mothers and carers of patients admitted to the children’s ward at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital are concerned about the deteriorating condition of some parts of the hospital.
They have complained of broken toilets and washroom doors, broken ceilings and mold stains on walls.
They’re asking the authorities whether there are temporary plans to fix these facilities for their use in the meantime while the major refurbishment is in progress.
Mother-of-one, Rosi Temo Puamau said the children’s ward has more than three well-kept bathrooms and toilets but they’re restricted to patients only.
She said female carers or mothers who wish to use the washroom are required to go to the third floor or the ground floor of the hospital, forcing them to leave their children unattended.
“Sometimes we ask other mothers to look after our children while we run upstairs or downstairs to the washroom,” said Ms Puamau.
“At times when other mothers are busy tending to their own children, I have to wait for my son to sleep before I can go.
“We don’t bother asking the nurses in charge because they already have their hands full with more than six patients each to look after, and they’re very nice as well.”
A mother-of-three, who wished to remain anonymous, said the broken facilities were a disturbing sight.
“It’s scary. The ceilings are torn open in places and we can look right through the roof structure,” she said.
The woman said that on the third floor, they have to lift the bathroom door so it can shut properly while they take a shower and then reverse the process to come out.
According to a source, a white bedsheet now covers the door to the washroom.
“Sometimes when we run downstairs to the ground floor, the toilets are clogged, so we have to run back upstairs to the third floor.
“It is time-consuming. We can’t afford to run around up and down while our sickly children are in bed needing our undivided attention.”
In response, Health and Medical Services Minister Atonio Lalabalavu sought the public’s patience on the matter as the refurbishment process was being conducted in phases.
“There’s a budget for improvement, but it is being done in phases and it may take time to improve infrastructure,” said Dr Lalabalavu.
“We apologise for the ongoing issue.
“We are trying our very best to improve on that.”
