SEBOKENG.- The sick, the elderly, the disabled, and pregnant women are all made to queue outside the Boitumelo Clinic when they attend the health care facility.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Emfuleni Central has called on the Gauteng Department of Health to urgently provide answers and a clear implementation plan for the long-promised mobile clinic serving the Boitumelo community.

Residents were once again left standing outside.

As recent as Friday, residents were once again left standing outside the Boitumelo Clinic in cold and rainy weather, with no adequate shelter while waiting to access basic healthcare services.

“The situation has been going on for months. We have been promised a mobile clinic but nothing has come of the promise,” residents said.

DA’s Daddy Mollo said that the situation is unacceptable and that residents should not have to choose between seeking medical attention and standing for hours in the harsh weather conditions.

Elderly residents, children, people living with disabilities and those who are already sick are particularly affected by these conditions.

“What is even more concerning is that the mobile clinic for the area has been on the planning map for some time, yet the community is still waiting for meaningful progress from the provincial Department of Health. Healthcare is not only about having a building with a sign on it. It is about making services accessible, reliable and dignified for the people who depend on them,” Mollo said.

Mollo called on the Gauteng Department of Health to:

• Provide the community with a clear update on the status of the Boitumelo mobile clinic;
• Provide a firm timeline for when the mobile clinic will become operational;
• Explain what has caused the delays in implementing the project;
• Put immediate measures in place to provide adequate shelter for patients waiting at the clinic; and
• Engage directly with the Boitumelo community on the way forward.

The people come first.

“The people of Boitumelo deserve better than promises and plans that never reach the ground. The DA will continue to raise this matter with the relevant authorities and hold the provincial Department of Health accountable. The people must come first. Healthcare cannot remain a promise on a planning document — it must be delivered where people live.”

Sedibeng Ster sent an enquiry to the Health Department, and at the time of going to print no response had been received.