Couple sent from pillar to post and still no meds
The public healthcare system continues to fail the people who need it most and this again became apparent when a married couple left without the needed medication after waiting three days for assistance.
POLOKWANE – The couple from Westenburg are among the people who need to take Antiretroviral (ARV) medication to stay in good health.
They get this medication from Buite Clinic every month but said the service there is extremely slow.
You might also want to read: Patient waits hours for HIV/Aids treatment at Rethabile Clinic
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, explained even when they make sure to be at the clinic by 06:00, they find themselves still waiting to be assisted at 15:00 when services stop.
This went on for three days where they waited in the queue to be assisted but ended up having to leave at the end of the day without the medication.
They then decided to go and collect their medication at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital only to be told they had to return to Buite Clinic to get it.
They eventually went to Rethabile Clinic in the city where they received assistance but they were, however, reminded that Buite Clinic was the clinic designated to assist people from the Westenburg area and they should go back there in future.
Now they are worried about what they will do next month when they have to collect their medication at Buite Clinic.
A private doctor in the city, Dr Khomotso Tsebe, previously spoke to BONUS about the dangers HIV positive patients are exposed to when they don’t take their treatment on a daily basis.
She explained because there is no outright cure for HIV, ARV medication slows down the damage the virus does to the immune system, thus allowing people to live long, productive lives without succumbing to the disease.
“If a person can be off treatment for a prolonged duration of time due to whatever reason, he or she may be at a greater risk of falling ill faster. For instance, their immune system may become resistant to the ARV medication, making it harder for the immune system to fight the virus or to even no longer work when medication is resumed,” Tsebe explained, adding when ARV treatment is stopped or not taken at the same time every day, the HIV disease takes advantage of it and starts to make copies of itself again.
On a previous query, the Department of Health said when patients are not happy about the service they receive at a facility, they have the right to complain or discuss their dissatisfaction with the department. In the case of a facility like a clinic, the first line of entry should be the operations manager, referred to as the ‘in charge’.
“If their grievance is not heard, they can escalate the issue to the district which will follow up on their behalf and also work to correct and improve what might need to be improved in order for patients to be serviced efficiently and satisfactorily.
“We encourage people to give us feedback about services they receive because that assists us to improve,” said Department of Health Spokesperson, Neil Shikwambana.
He added a person has the right to be treated at the facility of their choice and no one reserves the right to turn them away.
“The case in point involves an HIV positive patient, however, and it is always advisable and desirable for chronic patients to be consistent with the places where they pick up their medication for proper recordkeeping and thorough monitoring of vitals.
“I believe the nurse in question referred them back to Buite Clinic for these important follow-ups and records,” Shikwambana concluded.
