Community members march against Msogwaba Clinic
Dumsani Masilela, leader of the Pienaar Youth Movement, led the marchers.
The community is calling for improved service delivery at Msogwaba Clinic.
Last Tuesday angry members of the public delivered a memorandum of demands to the clinic management and a Department of Health representative.
They complained about the lack of privacy and confidentiality in the consulting room.
Pregnant women and mothers with infants are turned away when they go for checkups and to have their babies immunised because they are allegedly told that it is not their dates.
READ : KaNyamazane residents protest against poor services at local clinic
They also complained about the community health workers who assist at the clinic, however they are not given first preference for permanent jobs. They also raised concerns regarding the attitude they get from the some of the staff members who allegedly shout at patients. They complained about patients waiting in long queues without receiving assistance from as early as 07:00 until the late afternoon.
“The matron of the clinic is rude and ignorant, not only to patients, but also to her team. It is as if she wants her presence to be felt. We know that clinic staff members don’t feel comfortable when she is around,” said Masilela.
He also brought up the employee shortage and demanded the department to employ more staff.
READ: Msogwaba Clinic now operate 24 hours
He called on the department to give a 70% preference to qualified unemployed people from Pienaar and permanent positions to all those who have been volunteering for years at the clinic.
“We would like to express a vote of no confidence in the Msogwaba Clinic committee because if they were really doing their job we would not where we are today.
“They claim to represent the residents of Msogwaba, but they do not. We demand the clinic committee disband with immediate effect,” he said. The community also demanded three mobile clinics to service the whole community of Lehawu, Zwelishane and kaDantjie. The protesters gave the Department of Health a maximum of five days to respond to their demands.
