Residents in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay have been left frustrated with the wide array of challenges they face at Pellsrus Clinic and Sea Vista Clinic, including long waiting times, shortage of staff, and shortage of medication, with their complaints allegedly going unheard.
An anonymous Jeffreys Bay resident said that after waiting three weeks to see a doctor at Pellsrus Clinic, she sought medical assistance from Policlinic Pharmacy.
“I received a phone call from the clinic three weeks after my initial visit to inform me that the doctor was able to see me the following day, but I told them that I could no longer wait to see a doctor at the clinic, and I had to seek help from somewhere else,” she said.
Apart from the trouble she had experienced trying to see a doctor at the clinic, she said that the toilet never has enough toilet paper for all the patients.
She further said that the nurses are often short-tempered, which causes many of the patients to feel uncomfortable.
“With all the bad experiences at the clinic many people do not want to go back,” she said.
Another resident, who also makes use of Pellsrus Clinic, said patients are expected to stay outside for hours while they wait for their names to be registered on the system.
Once their names are registered, she said they are then allowed in the clinic, which can be a long waiting period as well, before they are seen by a healthcare professional.
“At times we wait for over five hours for our names to be called. To make matters worse, there are times when the staff are not able to find my file, but will not inform me. Instead I continue waiting. It is frustrating to see people go before me, but when I ask the staff for an update I am told to wait,” she said.
Despite going to the clinic on the date given by the staff, she said that it is frustrating that the staff members first see patients who were not seen on the previous day, which further extends her waiting time.
“We have to sit at the clinic all day, even if we are there early,” she said.
A resident who makes use of Sea Vista Clinic said that when people are sick, or must refill their prescription, there is no sense of urgency from the staff who are meant to help them.
Despite the severity of the patient’s health, she said that the staff members tell them that they see only a certain number of patients a day and they should come back the following day.
She further said that when people are bitten by dogs in the area, which has allegedly become a regular occurrence in Sea Vista, they are told by the staff to visit the pharmacy as they cannot help them.
“Some people do not have money to buy medication at a pharmacy but the staff members at the clinic insist that they should visit the pharmacy instead, because they are not able to assist,” she said.
She said that those who can go to the pharmacy do so when their babies and older children are sick, because they have had many experiences where the clinic has a shortage of medication.
“We do not get any help; instead we just sit at the clinic from early in the morning until the clinic closes later the afternoon,” she said.
Kouga Municipality speaker, Alderman Brenton Williams, said that the negligence of the Department of Health (DoH) has left Pellsrus Clinic and Sea Vista Clinic severely under-resourced, leaving residents unable to access the care they require.
Despite close to 1 200 residents signing a petition for changes to be made at the two local clinics, he said that the DoH has failed to provide any meaningful response or support to the urgent need for improved healthcare services in the Kouga region.
“The petitions, with 1 028 and 154 signatures respectively for Pellsrus Clinic and Sea Vista Clinic, seek to bring to the attention of the DoH the dire state of service delivery at these two facilities,” said Williams.
“It is based on the right to healthcare as enshrined in Section 27 (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution and which provides that everyone has the right to have access to healthcare services, and requires the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.”
Williams said that the petition for Pellsrus Clinic, which services the whole of Jeffreys Bay, serves to implore the DoH to establish a second clinic, of which one must be a 24-hour Community Health Centre. Additionally, as a matter of great urgency, ensure that the current clinic is sufficiently staffed with suitably-qualified personnel, as well as fully-resourced with the required medical equipment.
Similar to the issues raised by the residents, Williams said that the Sea Vista Clinic faces a myriad of challenges, including ineffective and inefficient healthcare provision, unfriendly and rude employees, unreasonably long wait times for medical attention, and patients being turned away for not wearing face masks.
He said that the lack of prioritisation for employed residents, insufficient administrative support for clinical staff and inconsistent availability of medication, are also of great concern.
“Kouga Municipality remains committed to advocating for the health and well-being of its residents, and will continue to seek answers and support from the relevant stakeholders to address these pressing health concerns,” said Williams.
“It is imperative that action is taken to address the health concerns in Kouga, and ensure that residents have access to the care they need and deserve.”
Numerous attempts by Kouga Express requesting comment from the Eastern Cape Department of Health’s spokesperson were met with no response.
