Clinic out of essential medicines for more than a month

A critical shortage of medicines was discovered at the Pongola Clinic by the DA representative to the KZN Health Portfolio during an unannounced oversight visit last week.

The busy 24-hour clinic that provides medical care to about 6 500 patients a month had run out of several life-saving medications, as well as antibiotics, a month ago, and despite having placed an order with the central pharmaceuticals depot, the clinic was still waiting for stock.

“These medicines were ordered last month and they are still short. These are essential drugs. Many of the drugs that are on this list are known as tracer medicines and they are absolutely essential. I saw all the major antibiotic groups are out of stock. In fact, there is even a first line drug that is given to children with suspected meningitis, and they don’t have this. They are trying to manage with alternatives, which is not always ideal. There are some drugs for which there is no alternative,” explained Dr Imran Keeka.

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Dr Keeka said he was in Pongola to attend the Youth Parliament on June 14, when he decided to investigate complaints received by Pongola councillor, Kobus Theron, about staff shortages, long queues, medicine shortages and rude staff.

“The hospital in Pongola has been sold, is and now operating as a Private Hospital, so the closest government hospital to Pongola is 35km away. What is the use of a busy 24-hour clinic if they don’t have these medicines,” continued Dr Keeka.

“The MEC makes statements saying there are no stock shortages in KZN. He says there is an electronic system that they have that allows him to sit in his office and immediately have a look at any facility and see where medicines are short. In fact, this is the biggest lie I have heard that is often repeated. Every single facility I have visited since he started peddling this lie, has proven him wrong. I have never seen such severe stock outs in my entire four years of being an MPL, than the extent at which I see it now. This is unprecedented. The last time I saw something close to this was when there was a stock out crisis in 2015.”

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A media enquiry sent to the KZN Department of Health received the following response from spokesperson, Ncumisa Mafunda, “ The Department can confirm that there has been a shortage of certain medication due to challenges experienced by the supplier. However, in the interim the Department wishes to emphasise alternative medication is available. To mitigate the impact of this shortage, medical stock is closely monitored and redistributed amongst facilities when necessary.”

Dr Keeka, however, insists that this excuse is simply another lie.

“Saying that the suppliers are out of stock is simply not true, because these medicines are available in the private sector. I have a document where the Department of Health says tenders were not put out in time to replenish stock. The Province has not done its job. Here are the people of KwaZulu-Natal in the rural area of Pongola that will suffer because we have an MEC that simply does not care about the province. Rumour has it that this human-rights violating MEC will become the next Premier of the province and he can’t even make sure that his department does simple things to ensure health care at a clinic level,” he said.

Dr Keeka commended the clinic for being neat and clean and said that he found no problems with the machines, which were all working.

However, staff shortages led to long hours of queuing, with some patients waiting more than seven hours for medical attention.

“The clinic has 12 professional nurses, when it should ideally have 18. At the moment, there are 5 926 vacancies in critical posts in health care in the province, and there are around 2 300 non-critical posts vacant. We have a government that talks about creating jobs but does not budget to create those jobs. That is why there are long queues. The Department had to pay out R421 million in medical negligence claims in the last financial year. Part of that problem is that there is not enough staff to see to patients. Patients die while waiting,” said Dr Keeka.

The issues picked up during the oversight visit have been forwarded by Dr Keeka to the Head of the Health Department, as well as the chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee.

“This cannot go on any longer,” he concluded.

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