CENTANE, Eastern Cape – Patients from Ngcizele Clinic in Centane are reportedly forced to sweep the waiting room themselves due to a shortage of staff, including nurses.

One of the patients, Musa Wesi (22), said she visited the clinic twice this month and was saddened to see that patients were being attended to by only one professional nurse.

She said that on the first day she visited the clinic for a personal matter, she noticed there was only one nurse assisting patients. On the second day, when she went to collect her mother’s medication, she was shocked to find patients left unattended, awaiting nurses who travel from Butterworth.

“There is no staff here. We are forced to clean the floor before we get help because we cannot sit in a dirty place like this. No one asks us to do it, but we can see the condition of our clinic. It used to have nurses, but now we do not know what is happening.”

She added that residents are worried the clinic may eventually close, even though it serves a large number of surrounding communities.

Another patient who helped sweep the clinic, Nomawethu Katikati (65), said she had gone there to collect medication for a heart condition. She said that when they arrived, they found the clinic dirty and decided to sweep while waiting for assistance.

“We are appealing to the government to bring more nurses to our clinic. It is a very beautiful clinic and even has accommodation for nurses, but there are no nurses. We need help with this situation,” she said.

The traditional leader of the area, Chief Mxolisi Soga, said they had tried several times to seek help from the department, but no one had been willing to assist them.

“We even went to the Legislature to ask for help because people are sick. It is very painful to depend on one nurse. When this nurse is sick, the clinic closes. We went to Butterworth Hospital to ask for help, and they gave us one nurse who only arrives around 12:00 because the area is far from where she comes from,”said Soga.

According to Soga, the community urgently needs assistance. He added that it is shameful for patients to be treated in a dirty environment because there is no cleaner at the clinic.

Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape MEC for Health, Camagwini Mavovana, said the Department of Health is aware of concerns raised regarding staffing at Ngcizele Clinic. She said that, at present, the facility has one professional nurse assigned.

“The district has already submitted a formal motivation requesting the appointment of additional agency nurses to strengthen service delivery, and it has been prioritised in this regard, including consideration for a second nurse to improve staffing capacity,” she said.

She added that regarding staffing norms, a ratio of one professional nurse to approximately 25 to 35 patients is generally accepted in primary healthcare facilities, although patient volumes may fluctuate during peak periods, temporarily increasing waiting times and staff pressure.

In addition, the Department is implementing broader interventions to address staffing pressures across primary healthcare facilities.

“In the 2026/27 financial year budget speech, the MEC for the Department of Health, Ntandokazi Capa, announced the filling of 1,000 general worker posts across the province, which include cleaners and other essential support staff. Ngcizele Clinic is included within the prioritised rollout to benefit from these appointments, which will further strengthen operational capacity at the facility level.

“Regarding concerns raised about facility conditions, the Department notes that it has not received verified reports of sustained neglect at the clinic.”

Mavovana said any isolated incidents observed are being taken seriously, and appropriate internal processes will ensure that standards of cleanliness and service delivery are consistently maintained going forward.

“The Department continues to prioritise critical posts within available resources while implementing targeted recruitment, agency support, and phased post-filling to strengthen service delivery at the facility level.”