The Portfolio Committee on Health continued its oversight visit in KwaZulu-Natal province’s uMgungundlovu District, the committee on Wednesday visited Cramond and Gcumisa clinics, as well as Appelsbosch District Hospital.
The Acting Chairperson of the committee, Mr Fish Mahlalela, said the situation in Cramond is undesirable to have such a health facility. “I got shocked when I saw a clinic that is a four-room house.
During the walkabout and checking the operations of the clinic, the committee found that the clinic was too small and some patients were crammed inside whilst others had to wait outside and were exposed to bad weather conditions.
In Cramond clinic, the committee commended the staff for its dedication in ensuring that the community receives excellent health services, despite challenges. The committee found the clinic well stocked with medication that caters for the medical needs of the community. Clinic management said members of the community they serve come from disadvantaged backgrounds and most people are unemployed.
At Gcumisa clinic the committee found that the committee is functional but under difficult conditions. The committee was informed that the back-up generator had not been functioning for over two months. Meanwhile, it was discovered after proper inspection and testing, that the generator is working, but needs servicing. The clinic also has infrastructural issues such as an inadequate isolation rooms for infectious diseases and poor water supply. The grounds at the clinic do not cater for people living with disabilities.
Briefing the committee, the CEO of Appelsbosch District Hospital said the hospital experiences high rates of HIV/Aids infections among adults, and teenage pregnancy. HIV/Aids is the number one cause of death among adults.
The committee urged the hospital to devise new strategies to address the high rate of teenage pregnancy and HIV infections. During the inspection of the facilities the committee found that the hospital has infrastructure challenges leading to difficulty in separating infectious from non-infectious cases. The infrastructural challenges that the hospital faces are attributed to the fact that it is an old hospital and is located in deep rural area.
Among the challenges that hospital is faced with, is that the maternity department is not compliant with National Health Insurance requirements. The ward structure makes it impossible to observe patients when the nurses are in the nurses’ station, something which jeopardises patients’ safety. The inadequacy of space at the hospital makes it impossible to ensure privacy during the sorting of patients for vital signs assessment.
The committee engaged the patients, who complained about staff shortages, particularly of doctors and long waiting times.
Mr Mahlalela indicated that after the oversight visits to the health facilities, the committee will meet with the MEC for Health for a report-back on what the committee found during the visits.
By Yoliswa Landu
17 August 2018
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