For residents of Pelican Park and surrounding areas, the Pelican Park Community Centre is the closest clinic when illness strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, for many residents the reality is long queues outside clinic gates with no guarantee of being helped as the centre is fully booked until October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sitting front in line, at a makeshift waiting area on the pavement on Wednesday 20 August, Leth Peters says she has been patiently waiting outside the gates since 06:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe gate opened at 08:00 and I was first in the line as an unbooked patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI need to see a doctor and there is a waiting area inside the clinic, but apparently it is full. They apparently first have to find out with the doctor whether he can see more patients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to patients, they are not allowed to wait inside the clinic because they had not made an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly the people who are booked went inside this morning. If I don\u2019t get an appointment today, I don\u2019t know how the system works. We were told that appointments were fully booked up until October, but I need help now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second in line, Daniel van Wyk, repeatedly taps his foot on the ground: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait, I need a doctor now. I am in a lot of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Covering his face with his hand, Van Wyk says he is just \u201changing on\u201d and hopeful that a doctor would see him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what is going to happen. I know they must at least take one or two unbooked people a day but now they are saying that they are fully booked. We are still hanging on and I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A single mother of three from Strandfontein, who chose to remain anonymous, says she was referred to the clinic to collect chronic medication for high blood pressure and had specifically taken a leave day to attend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have a referral from the day hospital for my test results and tablets. I had my last high blood pressure tablets today and the matron at the clinic told me I must just wait and see whether they would help us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat happens tomorrow when I need to take a tablet because I am on chronic medication?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The concerned mom says she can\u2019t return the next day and most importantly needs her medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf they don\u2019t help you today, you must just come back tomorrow, and I am a single parent and working. I took the day off to come to the clinic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is unfair because we have all been waiting the whole morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are told to wait outside and everyone sitting here is only allowed to use the toilet and then they must come back outside, until they maybe see you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday 22 August, People\u2019s Post<\/span> reported on a motion rejected at Subcouncil 18 for a dignified waiting area to be erected at the clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When People\u2019s Post<\/span> visited the clinic on Wednesday 30 August, a long line of unbooked patients waited outside as one waiting area inside the clinic was filled to capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However a second waiting area remained empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PR Councillor Shireen August says it is very concerning for residents to be waiting on the pavement when there\u2019s a large waiting area available inside the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy concern is not the appointments and all of that because I am sure the City can deal with that, I don\u2019t want to tell them how to do their job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy concern is people sitting outside. Those people sitting outside will tell you that they have been sitting here since 06:30 and to sit outside like that, with a sick child or a disabled person when there is a huge space inside the clinic is not right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll I am saying is accommodate them all because they are sitting on the pavement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shireen says the issue first came to her attention in 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is not about politics, and it never was. You have to have passion to serve people, if you don\u2019t have the passion then you are in the wrong profession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs councillors, your responsibility is towards the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s unite for the people, this is what is required for the community and that is all I am saying.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For residents of Pelican Park and surrounding areas, the Pelican Park Community Centre is the closest clinic when illness 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