South Africa: Dora Nginza 'Rescue Plan' Fears As Eastern Cape Health Department Hits Crisis Mode

By Estelle Ellis

As the Eastern Cape Health Department rolled out emergency measures over the weekend to ensure continued nursing care for pregnant women and their babies following an unprotected strike, long-standing systemic failures at Dora Nginza Hospital were exposed, including decade-long staffing gaps and concern over a rescue plan developed without sufficient clinical input.

Less than a month ago, on 18 March 2026, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said in a written parliamentary reply to EFF MP Sixolisa Gcilishe that there was no need to place the Eastern Cape Department of Health under administration to address the challenges at Dora Nginza Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay.

"We have gone to the Eastern Cape ... to meet the Premier, the MEC for Finance, and the MEC for Health, together with the Director-General of the province. This meeting discussed all the shortcomings and problems that the Eastern Cape Department of Health is experiencing.

"A plan was developed and is being followed to correct some of the shortcomings that were identified. One such shortcoming is the issue of pregnant women sleeping on benches and chairs within the hospital, because of overcrowding. The problem was identified as being caused by a shortage of district hospitals in the area, and not by Dora Nginza Hospital itself.

"This shortage of district health facilities causes every pregnant woman to be sent to Dora Nginza, thus causing overcrowding, leading to some sleeping on benches as we have seen on television," the Minister said.

"The solution," he was adamant, "was not to...

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