Eastern Cape police are searching for five suspects following a business robbery in Joubertina at around 1:30 on Saturday morning.
Spokesperson, Captain Gerda Swart says it is alleged that two men arrived at a hospital pretending to be ill.
She says they overpowered the security guard and tied him up, before going to the reception area where they overpowered the cashier and staff on duty.
Swart says three more suspects then arrived, and they broke into the pharmacy and took an unknown amount of items, as well as cellphones and cash belonging to the staff.
Swart says the suspects took the keys of two vehicles belonging to the Department of Health and fled the scene.
Both vehicles were later found abandoned about 15 km outside Joubertina, in the direction of Port Elizabeth.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the nearest police station.
The Eastern Cape Health Department has strongly condemned the robbery of a hospital.
Spokesperson, Siswe Kupelo says when you have armed men coming into a public health facility to rob, it clearly shows that you have a problem at a societal level.
"We can have as many security guards at hospitals, but if criminals have no shame to attack and rob their own institutions, it is a problem that must be addressed outside of the Department", he said.
Kupelo says on Thursday night, criminals also robbed a clinic in Libode at gunpoint and stole a state vehicle.
He says the police were alerted but the car has not yet been recovered.
