DA Member of Parliament Hein Volmink, a member of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), conducted an oversight visit with DA PR Clr Bongani Nkwanyana and branch chairperson Langalake Mngomezulu on June 27 at local clinics, an old age home and police station.
They visited City of Joburg institutions Jeppe Clinic, Bertha Solomon Old Age Home, as well as Jeppe Police Station.
“The purpose of the visit is to speak to the staff and find out what challenges they have and how we can assist in making sure they can do their work more effectively,” said Nkwanyana.
First stop was Bertha Solomon community hall and the old age home where Volmink had the opportunity to speak with workers and discuss the challenges they have and how it affects the work.
A number of challenges were raised from the hall staff of not having phones and internet which makes their job difficult because they need to make bookings and that requires a phone and they need to send emails.
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“Some of the challenges are minor, they just require better management. For serious issues we will set up a meeting with the relevant people to assist in finding solutions and improving services,” said Volmink.
He expressed concern about conditions at the old age home.
“The grounds are not properly maintained and that needs to improve. It’s important that the home is well kept because old people are prone to illness because of their age,” said Volmink.
He said oversight visits serve to correct where the city might not be delivering.
“It’s important that such visits happen because we need to know what is happening in the city’s facilities.
“If we are not performing to our best ability we need to correct the situation,” explained Volmink.
He was pleased about the conditions of Jeppe Clinic and how it functioned.
“Although the clinic is not operating on extended hours, it’s serving the community well. They have all the necessary systems in place for it to function accordingly,” said Volmink.
Operations manager Dimakatso Mosoetsa said the clinic is currently not facing any challenges.
“We have all the necessary services. We receive all the medication we need and have a good working relationship with the community,” said Mosoetsa.
She said the only concern they have picked up is the late antenatal care registration.
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“The women come late in their pregnancy for care, some as late as seven to eight months. That is too late in their pregnancy, even if you pick up problems you cannot assist.
“With the help of the community health workers, they encourage them to come to the clinic,” said Mosoetsa.
Volmink said community health workers play a vital role in the healthcare system.
“Community health workers work closely with the community. They visit homes and collect the health data of the household.
“That information assists in knowing how many people are in the area and how many of them are on chronic medication or need assistance. They work with social workers if there are cases that need them to intervene,” said Volmink.
Public meetings will be held with the relevant departments to address the issues that were discovered during the visits.
“We want to provide the best service to the people. With the information that has been collected, we now know where to improve. We can also address the challenges that some institutions are facing,” said Volmink.
