Central SA
Concerns over North West doctors housed in dilapidated structure─── LUCKY NKUYANE 12:14 Wed, 12 Oct 2022
The North West Provincial Legislature Committee has raised a concern over a dilapidated structure housing doctors whilst also facing issues of faulty generators amidst the ailing power utility Eskom's load-shedding.
According to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development, Erns Kleynhans, the doctors at the Maubane Clinic are faced with challenges ranging from a faulty generator that does not function, inability to service medical equipment, and a slight shortage of medication. He said this whilst the community was on a 3-day oversight visit to the Mathibestad-based Moretele Local municipality this week to assess the state of health facilities, among others. Kleynhans has since vowed to take up the matter of non-functioning generators with the Department of Health as this poses a risk to patients during load-shedding.
“The Maubane Clinic is an ideal platinum-status clinic, opening for 12 hours 7 days a week. It services a population of about 16 600 people, with about 80 - 100 patients a day. It has 9 professional nurses, 8 assistant nurses, 2 testing councillors, 32 Community Health Workers (who visit and send medication to people around the villages) and 1 groundsman. It does antenatal care bookings, baby clinics, and chronic diseases like HIV, TB, hypertension (high blood pressure), and diabetes management. The doctors come twice a week. They are housed in an old dilapidated building with challenges ranging from a faulty generator that does not function, inability to service medical equipment and a slight shortage of medication.
In August 2022, the MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, made a surprise visit to a local clinic in Boikhutso in Ventersdorp. MEC Sambatha found that this clinic operates with only 2 staff members while attending to 1200 patients a month. In his oversight, Sambatha also found that there is only one professional nurse with only a Community Health Worker (CHW) to assist. The clinic also operates without a security guard whilst it operates from Monday to Friday. Lekgethwane says MEC Sambatha is now planning an intervention.
ALSO READ: North West clinic under scrutiny
With issues faced by other healthcare facilities across the province, Sambatha was left fuming following power outages by the ailing power utility Eskom across the province affecting essential services like hospitals and clinics. MEC Sambatha said Eskom is load-shedding essential services, including hospitals and clinics and this is despite a letter sent from the province to the Eskom official making a plea to exempt such institutions from load-shedding.
ALSO READ: Stop power cuts at North West hospitals, or else – MEC
However, the ailing power utility Eskom has denied that it has excluded North West hospitals from being exempted from load-shedding amidst the then stage 3 load-shedding countrywide.
The power utility’s manager of customer services, Ezekiel Baruti, told OFM News that a list is circulating between Eskom and the North West Provincial Government, including North West hospitals.
Baruti said the power utility is working with the provincial government to explore technical solutions that were necessary to exempt the hospitals. “Eskom discussed with the province, between its senior management and Provincial Government's technical representatives. The conclusion was that technical information was required from the municipal areas, and part of that information was received on 4 October 2022. Further engagement will be held in due course.
