Shakaskraal Clinic staff “doing their best” says employee

A Shakaskraal Clinic staff member has lashed out at ward 28 councillor Doeshie Govender for accusing the clinic of poor service.

The employee wrote a letter to The Courier in response to the article published on December 23 (‘Clinic “a shambles‘), in which Govender said there was no shelter for the patients, the toilets had been out of order for two months and there was a shortage of staff. He also accused the nurses of mistreating patients and of starting work late.

The employee, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, has vehemently denied all the allegations.

“The clinic opens its gates at 7am as certain staff start their duty at that time, however the remaining staff members start their duties at 7.30am.

“The clinic serves a large number of people and due to this, the daily patient intake is very high. Unfortunately the clinic is unable to accommodate these large numbers due to structural limitations. The Ilembe District Health Department is fully aware of this issue and plans are in place to deal with the issue in the future as discussed during a recent visit by the health MEC.”

She said the issue of water and toilets apparently started during the construction of Cllr Govender’s new office on the premises.

She blamed the building contractors for damaging water and sewer pipes and asked how staff could be expected to work without these crucial necessities.

“The construction company took more than two weeks to repair the pipes. The Ilembe district maintenance department was contacted but their hands were tied because it was the contractor’s responsibility to fix the water problem.

“One should bear in mind that water is important in a health facility for patient care and more specifically to ensure a clean and infection free environment. The majority of staff at the clinic are females who are more at risk to urinary tract infection and many other infections, especially if the water and ablution facilities are not available, and this caused many staff to fall ill,” she said.

“The issues with medication shortage are beyond a nurse’s control as medication procurement is not a function at the clinic level, we are expected to provide quality patient care (which we do) despite challenges that are beyond our control.

“I wonder why is it that patients flock in large numbers to Shakaskraal Clinic on a daily basis if ‘the clinic is in shambles’ – as Cllr Govender said – or is it because the nursing care rendered is commendable?” she queried.

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