KaMhlushwa Clinic staff accused of poor service and rudeness
The staff is accused of allegedly chit-chatting and holding long meetings instead of helping patients. The Mpumalanga Department of Health recently weighed in on the matter.
The KaMshlushwa Clinic has come under fire for alleged poor service towards its patients.
A community member who wished to remain anonymous told Corridor Express that as a community, they have to deal with long queues and a terrible attitude from the staff on a daily basis. “The queues are unnecessary because it’s not like there are a lot of people who come here on a daily basis, but it’s because the staff members come in and do not pay attention to us. First, it’s the never-ending morning meetings that sometimes take up until the afternoon, and then they chit-chat among themselves. They start working very late and sometimes, some people get turned back without getting attention because they understand the time to go home very well.”
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It is further alleged that the clinic staff’s attitude towards the patients is rude. “We know them very well because we live with some of them, but they are so rude towards us. They talk to us like we are not human, they scream and yell at us as if we enjoy going to the clinic. We urge the department to intervene, because we go to there to get better health, but we come back depressed.”
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The Mpumalanga Department of Health said it would look into the matter; however, it has also asked the patients to work with them. “In most cases, chronic patients do not honour their appointment dates, and when they come, they want to be attended to first. Those who did not show up on the given dates, must wait for those who had an appointment for that day. Patients do not know the prioritisation process as to who are in the fast lane, such as the TB patients, newborn babies who are very ill or frail, the disabled, emergencies, the elderly and women in labour.
The explanations are given and displayed on the waiting area notice board. Some patients do not want to queue, they are always in a hurry and want to be treated immediately or get special treatment, not considering those others who are also waiting to be seen. The department will continue to encourage patients to follow the booking system to avoid unnecessary delays,” said the department’s provincial spokesperson, Chris Nobela.
