LETTER: Bad attitudes at Alberton North Clinic are unacceptable
I want to refer to this issue as an Alberton resident with a very bad and dissatisfied visit to the Alberton North Clinic on March 13.
My visit and day started like this.
Due to the “turned away” attitude of the staff, I arrived at the clinic at 06:30. I always count the people in front of me due to the “force one’s way in” in front of you when the doors open. I counted 10 people in front of me.
When the doors opened and we started moving forward, the queue ahead of me escalated to 19 people in front of me.
Usually, the one sister opens the doors just after 07:00, but this day, she only opened them at 08:12. For what reason, only they know. Then, you know this will be a very long day of waiting.
She then came to each one to see what we were there for and show you which row to stand in.
At 08:30, the row I was in started to move inside the building. So, from 06:30 to 08:30 was two hours just waiting outside to go in. This is unacceptable.
Between 08:30 and 09:00, nothing happened, but all the staff walked up and down, doing nothing. Around 09:10, they started with the blood pressure process for all. At 10:15, the first person got called to see the sister. After half an hour, the next one got a chance.
My turn to see the sister was just after noon. When I stepped into her room, you could see the unprofessional attitude on her face.
She did not greet me but started with, “I don’t like what I see. I must refer you to the hospital for tests.” Then yelling, “Your kidneys are not in good shape. Your kidneys are dying. Do you hear what I’m saying? Your kidneys are dying.”
Not that I know my body. Surely, my body will tell me if something is wrong, like pain or discomfort somewhere. Is she a doctor? How unprofessional. Who is she to say my kidneys are dying in my face?
Then she said I must go to draw blood. I told her they had drawn blood last September, so why must they draw blood every time I’m here? She simply told me, “Because this is how it is. Every time you visit the clinic, they draw blood.”
After the blood story, she filled in a form to refer me to the hospital for tests. She told me that it was not on her if I didn’t go. She referred me to the hospital to cover herself.
Previously, they also referred me to the hospital for something they said was wrong with me, according to the blood tests, and, eventually, it came out negative at the hospital. Their blood tests are very suspicious if you ask me.
I also noted that they had two blue cards for me. They use the one for your next visit, so it seems you have not drawn blood in a long time. The one date shows August 2023, and the next date shows November 2024. So, the date September 2024, when I last drew blood, does not show on this card for my visit in March 2025.
I’m unsure what their plan is or what they are trying to do. But whatever it is, I am unhappy about it and very upset about how they treat you.
After all, I am there for my medication, not for an examination of all kinds of nonsense they want to plan for you.
Nor am I there to be yelled at as if I am a piece of sh… They have to attend to us. I am nearly 70 and do not need such an attitude.
Anonymous
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