Soshanguve residents are frustrated over what they say is poor service at the KT Motubatse clinic in Extension 4.
They told Rekord that to get assistance from the clinic, they are forced to queue in the early hours of the morning, to avoid the cut-off time.
In some cases, they return to the clinic the next day, as they were previously sent home without receiving any help.
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Resident, Tshwarelo Manku said she had been consulting at the clinic since 2013 and has never received help until she consulted at a clinic in Pretoria West.
“In 2013, I had my blood drawn and I was told to return in seven days to get my results. When I returned, I was told my file had been lost and I had to open another one,” said Manku.
Manku told Rekord that she obliged but was discouraged because it meant she had to repeat the same process again.
“During my third visit, when I had to get my results, the first file was discovered by the clinic staff, but the second one had been lost. I had to explain that my blood samples had been taken twice,” said Manku.
She said when the clinic contacted the laboratory, they were not aware of her case.
“That is when I decided to go to the clinic in Pretoria West. My health at the time was already deteriorating. I needed urgent medical help,” added Manku.
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Another resident, Karabo Schoeman, said the poor service from the clinic was of great concern to residents.
“The nurses at the clinic have an attitude towards us and the service is very slow. When we need help, they take their time and usually they tell us that the doctor is not available or that the doctor has got on (sic) leave at that time,” said Schoeman.
“We queue for a long time at the clinic to get help and on top of that, we do not get help. It will be better if the clinic operates for long hours, or better yet, 24 hours and seven days a week,” added Schoeman.
The clinic manager, who refused to be identified, said he could not speak to the media.
Ward 37 councillor, Sankie Ntohla, said they were in talks with the provincial government and they had suggested the provision of another clinic.
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“Currently we are trying to engage with the provincial government to get another clinic, or maybe get this one to operate for 24 hours. At the moment, the clinic has home visits programmes which assist those who cannot collect medication at the clinic,” said Ntohla.
Spokesperson for the Gauteng health department, Foster Magale, said they were working on extending the hours at clinics.
“For us to provide another clinic, it depends on how many communities are dependent on that one clinic. So in this case, we are working with all the stakeholders to make it possible that the clinic can operate for 24 hours,” said Magale.
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