Residents in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality in North West have made heart-felt appeals for health clinics to operate 24 hours a day.
During public hearings on health and economic development on day three of the National Council of Province’s Taking Parliament to the People programme currently underway in the district, residents were unhappy about health clinic operating hours, saying they would like them to be open 24 hours, rather than only during the day, as they are now.
Their other concerns included shortages of medicine and ambulances, poor filing systems, inadequately resourced security guards and filthy clinics. “We appeal to the government to extend our clinics operating times to 24 hours. Currently, when we are sick at night we cannot get help, as our clinics close early. We also have a poor filing system. Our medical history gets lost. Every time I visit my local clinic, I am required to open a new file,” said Ms Boitumelo Malikana, a member of the public.
Other citizens told the NCOP that security guards in most clinics were only armed with batons, which they felt was not enough to ensure safety.
The MEC for Health in North West, Mr Sello Lehari, acknowledged the public frustration about clinics that operated for limited hours, some for eight hours, others 12. “The plan and wish of the government is to have all the clinics operate for 24 hours, but our challenge is budget. If you were to put them all at once, it is going to double the current costs, which we cannot afford. That is why we are doing it gradually; some are already on 24/7,” the MEC explained.
Responding to community concerns about medicine shortages, the MEC said official records state there is no shortage in the province. However, he committed to undertake another assessment to verify the accuracy of the report. “According to reports that we have in medicine availability, as a province we are doing well, we are on 86 percent, which is above the national norm of 82. But we note what has been raised today, and we will follow and visit the clinics to verify the accuracy of the report,” said Mr Lehari.
The MEC also reported that the province is supposed to have 400 ambulances but has fewer than 150 operating because of budget constraints. Several ambulances experience frequent breakdowns due to the poor road conditions in the province.
He also announced that the provincial department has appointed a team to visit all the hospitals and community health centres to check up on medicine availability, cleanliness and nurse/patient relationships.
Sakhile Mokoena
14 May 2026
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