The crisis at some Nelson Mandela Bay hospitals has reached new lows as doctors are having to clean wards and wash bed linen, while dirt stands in hallways amid crippling staff shortages.

Nursing staff at Livingstone Hospital have told a shocking tale of overwhelmed staff and overflowing wards that are manned by just two nurses.

Most of the patients are under investigation [for Covid-19], and we don't know where we stand," a nurse at Livingstone Hospital said.

Nurses at Dora Ngiza Hospital went on a go-slow after patient admissions shot up as a result of Covid-19, complaining of being overwhelmed and short-staffed.

He said the department had approved the appointment of 100 general assistants and 59 professional nurses for the Covid-19 period at Livingstone hospital, he said.