Patients subjected to terrible conditions
ROOSENEKAL – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is requesting the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Kenneth Jacobs to conduct an urgent oversight inspection of the Roosenekal Clinic following deplorable conditions at the facility.
The DA said after receiving complaints last Saturday from residents of the old age centre which is directly across the road from the clinic, it went to investigate to ghastly conditions at the health facility.
The party said it was left gobsmacked by the deplorable condition at the clinic, particularly the attitude of the staff.
It added that Roosenekal, under Sekhukhune district’s Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) currently experienced between five hours to three days of electricity outages at a time and the clinic did not have a generator, making it impossible to keep medicine cold.
Lindy Wilson, DA Political head for EMLM, said the nursing staff at the clinic used a gas bottle and ring to make their tea and that the gas bottle burned in a room full of medical equipment.
Wilson said behind the clinic building, a collapsed caravan was fully packed with oxygen bottles and piles of filthy linen which had been there for some time.
“Linen was even found strewn at parts of the clinic. Some were bloody and much of it was muddy. When I attempted to speak to the Sister in charge regarding the filthy conditions of the clinic, I was met with complete silence. And when trying to enquire whether there was a generator on the premises and how medicines were kept cold, the answer was a curt “no” before the Sister turned her back on me,” explained Wilson.
Wilson said her party was incredibly disheartened by the interaction with the head Sister and it became to apparent that she displayed very little care for her job, her workplace and for her patients.
It added that it was therefore little wonder that the DA was inundated with complaints about the clinic’s condition, its lack of medicines, the toilets’ conditions and uncooperative attitude of the staff.
“Pensioners from the old age home across the road are often made to wait for hours before being attended to while others who arrive much later are pushed into the front of the queue,” concluded Wilson.
Attempts to get comment from the Limpopo Department of Health were not successful at the time of going to press.
