Long queues at Steve Biko’s Academic hospital shock
“I counted about 300 people when the doors to the hospital were opened at 6:00.”
The DA Gauteng shadow health MEC, Jack Bloom, recently expressed his concerns over long queues, among other things, at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
This followed after Bloom, along with his colleague Alan Fuchs, visited the hospital early on Thursday morning at 04:00 to assess the situation and see what could be done to fix it.
“We spoke to patients who told us that they needed to be early, otherwise they would not be able to see a doctor and would have to come back the next day,” he said in a statement.
“In one case, an elderly man had been there from 12:00 the previous day. Others had arrived from 20:00 in the evening.”
Bloom said people parked outside in the street because they could only enter the parking lot at 04:00.
“The parking lot fills up quickly and is totally inadequate,” he said.
“I counted about 300 people when the doors to the hospital were opened at 06:00.”
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Bloom said other problems included poor security and allegations of “payments”, which allowed people who willing and able to pay to “jump” the queue.
He said the hospital’s official figure for the average time of entry every morning was 03:10 at the main entrance.
Official business hours are 07:00 to 16:00 for pharmacy and outpatient services.
“I really felt sorry for the sick and elderly people waiting long hours in the bitter cold,” Bloom said.
“The hospital is grossly overloaded with patients and needs more resources and better organisation to cut down the queues and waiting times.”
Bloom suggested it would help to upgrade other hospitals and clinics to take the strain off Steve Biko hospital.
“Security should be upgraded and the parking lot expanded as soon as possible,” he said.
He said patients should be able to pick up chronic medicine from facilities closer to where they live.
“I will be asking questions in the Gauteng Legislature on this matter and will put pressure on the new Health MEC, Bandile Masuku, to alleviate this unacceptable situation for many thousands of sick people,” Bloom said.
The hospital did not comment at the time of going to press.
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*Please note that the article has been amended.
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