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The Eastern Cape Health Department said several hospitals and clinics suffered damage during a severe storm that swept across the Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality on Wednesday.
Spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, said the facilities were flooded when their roofs began to leak as a result of the heavy rain.
He said the outpatient department at the Greenville Hospital in Mbizana is severely flooded, as are the pharmacy and the doctors’ quarters.
Manana said the hospital is functioning “although the water keeps coming in”.
He said it will be undergoing a multi-million rand refurbishment with the contractor expected to commence operations on 25 April.
“The project is expected to cost between R150m-R200m,” he said.
Meanwhile, other facilities in Mbizana that were affected included the Meje community health centre, where several areas were flooded including the outpatient department, pharmacy, and kitchen.
He said the records storage area at the Lilitha College of Nursing in Mbizana was also flooded.
Manana said in Matatiele, Tayler Bequest Hospital, Khotsong TB Hospital, and the Queen Mercy Clinic were all affected by flooding.
Some patients at Tayler Bequest Hospital had to be moved as a result of the water leaks, while a tree fell on the zinc roof of a clinic in Ntabankulu causing it to leak.
Manana said on Thursday that the heavy rain continued “to batter” the area.
