Steve Biko hospital air-conditioning failures leave patients waiting weeks for surgery - IOL

Patients requiring major surgery at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria are facing weeks of delays because of faulty operating theatre air-conditioning, with one family blaming the hospital for their mother’s death after complications they allege developed during a five-week wait for surgery.

The Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that high theatre temperatures have affected complex procedures and said five chillers will be repaired within six weeks, while another will be replaced within three months.

Families have raised concerns about repeated surgery cancellations, alleged poor nursing care and patients’ deteriorating health, with one elderly woman still waiting for an operation after three weeks.

A man identified only as Peter, to protect his identity, said his mother was admitted to the hospital on April 19 with a broken hip after falling in her kitchen. He said she had been healthy and mobile before the fall but waited five weeks for surgery as theatre temperatures were too high.

"Every day I went to Steve Biko, and I asked them, 'When is my mom going to be operated?'" he said.

Peter alleged that his mother’s condition deteriorated during the wait, with her developing bedsores on her heels and back, repeated episodes of sepsis, a blood clot in her lung, and kidney complications.

He claimed nurses failed to turn her regularly while she was bedridden and that staff blamed the family for her wounds.

"They accused me; I brought my mom with bed sores to Steve Biko," he said.

Peter said his mother was discharged unable to walk and without adequate rehabilitation. She died at home about six months later.

"They stole my mom's life, the last few years of her life," he said.

Another man, identified as Alex to protect the family’s identity, said his 76-year-old mother-in-law had been waiting three weeks for surgery, with the procedure scheduled about eight times before being cancelled.

The family said high theatre temperatures and a shortage of intensive care beds were among the reasons given for the delays.

"She is just lying there in the same position for three weeks now; she developed a bedsore on one foot, very confused. There was no plan; she was told she must just wait for the theatre," Alex said.

He said the diabetic patient had repeatedly gone without food for an entire day in preparation for operations that never took place.

The family also reported wounds, missing belongings, and rude treatment from staff.

"My mother-in-law is very depressed and confused; for us as her children it's traumatic, and it's upsetting seeing her there," Alex said.

The family has not lodged a formal complaint, believing it would make little difference.

Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Steve Mabona said the hospital continued to perform emergency operations and selected elective procedures despite the air-conditioning problems.

"However, the higher-than-normal temperatures experienced during the current summer period have resulted in theatre temperatures that are not suitable for some long and complex surgical procedures commonly performed at the facility," Mabona said.

Patients on the hospital’s waiting lists include those requiring reconstructive surgery, trauma operations, joint replacements, and upper-limb procedures.

Mabona said patients were being assessed according to their medical needs, with other public hospitals used where appropriate to accommodate surgical cases.

"The department acknowledges the concerns and impact that these infrastructure challenges have had on patients, staff, students and healthcare partners," he said.

When asked about the families’ allegations, the department did not specifically address claims of bedsores, inadequate nursing care, repeated fasting before cancelled operations, or the circumstances surrounding Peter’s mother’s death.

The latest disruption follows years of similar problems at the hospital, despite previous repairs and assurances that theatre services would be restored.

In October 2022, Pretoria News reported that non-urgent surgeries had resumed at Steve Biko Academic Hospital after faulty chillers forced operations to be postponed.

In October 2025, air-conditioning failures again disrupted major orthopaedic surgeries. The problems persisted into February 2026, when Gauteng Health confirmed further surgical delays linked to the hospital’s ageing ventilation system, installed in 2006.

DA Gauteng health spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin said the latest breakdown was the third major failure of the hospital’s air-conditioning system in seven years, following similar problems in 2019 and October 2025.

She said patients requiring major orthopaedic surgery were bearing the consequences of repeated breakdowns.

“These repeated breakdowns are unacceptable and expose the department’s failure to learn from past crises and prevent further disruptions to patient care,” Hicklin said.