Patients and nurses live in fear as snakes roam around Limpopo hospital

Patients, nurses and doctors at the Philadelphia Hospital in Moutse, Dennilton, in Limpopo are living in constant fear after venomous snakes have started entering the hospital.

The province received good rainfall in December, while most snakes began emerging from hibernation in search of food. During this period, at least two nurses and one hospital visitor have confirmed seeing snakes slithering outside the hospital buildings, verandas, wards, and kitchens, the latest being this week.

Health department blames rain for increased snake activity

The Limpopo provincial health department has also confirmed a snake was seen around the hospital.

“Yes, it is true that there is a snake that was seen in the premises of the hospital,” departmental spokesperson Neil Shikwambane told The Citizen on Friday.

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Shikwambane said the hospital management has already consulted snake handlers to improve the situation.

“The issue of bush is quite a challenge now because the province has been receiving good rains, and it continues to rain. But plans are in place to [cut the bushes back] as soon as the rains subside, because it is summer and snakes are coming out. There will be more of them seen in such places,” said Shikwambane.

‘Hospital resembles a zoo’

Seun Mogotji, the leader of the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa said the presence of snakes around the hospital was not news to the hospital or the community of Moutse in Sekhukhune.

“During the reign of the hospital’s former chief executive officer, it was not unusual to feast with snakes watching you like a hawk. We managed to kill one black mamba while it was slithering through the thick bushes behind the unused hospital buildings.

“The hospital management promised to de-bush the area and spray snake repellents. But it looks like nothing happened since,” he said.

Mogotji said Philadelphia Hospital was beginning to resemble a zoo rather than a healthcare facility. “Yet this is an area where people are supposed to receive medical treatment in safety and dignity. The presence of snakes on hospital premises is not accidental; it is the result of years of neglect.

“Overgrown bushes, old and unused buildings, discarded hospital beds, and accumulated rubbish have created an environment that attracts snakes, rats and other dangerous animals.

“Hospitals must be safe spaces. Pregnant women, sick patients, children, and the elderly should not live in fear of being bitten by snakes while accessing healthcare. This situation is unacceptable and poses a serious health and safety risk,” he said. Mogotji pleaded with health MEC Dioketseng Mashego to prioritise cleaning the hospital before snakes make a habit of biting people within the hospital premises.

Nurse ‘shell-shocked’ after encountering snake

A hospital nurse who crossed paths with a snake on Thursday said she was still gripped by fear.

“I was going to the patient’s ward when a black snake passed through the tall grass, leading to the building where nurses, dieticians and social workers were enjoying their meal at lunchtime,” said the nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“We all had to abandon our lunch boxes and run for dear life. Instead of getting into the ward, it slithered through the thick grass without any trace. I am still shell-shocked. I don’t think I will ever walk through the path until the area is de-bushed or until the snake is killed,” she said.