Marburg clinic is ailing
The lackadaisical attitude of staff seems to be one of the major problems.
HEALTH officials’ off-hand behaviour at Marburg Clinic has been criticised by patients who say they are not being attended to timeously by staff.
Last Friday, patients were walking out of the clinic without being assisted because of the long queues.
There were supposedly three nurses on duty. However, one left at 10am, saying she was ‘taking her hours’ and another had apparently taken an early lunch. Only one nurse was on duty when Herald journalists arrived to investigate.
The journalists were greeted by an unmanned registration area, and at 2pm, patients were still waiting to be registered.
When the nurse was asked why she was working alone, she directed the journalists to a complaints manager, who was also nowhere to be found.
Frustrated patients expressed their concern at the situation at the clinic.
“I am tired and hungry. My child is in pain, he can barely walk but we have had to sit the entire day without getting him help, let alone painkillers. If I cannot rely on the only thing I can afford, I don’t know who else to turn to,” said one mother, who had been sitting at the clinic since 8am.
Another patient said she had taken her child for an asthma check-up, but did not receive any help. Instead, when it was finally her turn, a nurse who was not wearing her name tag, said she could not assist as she was ‘taking her hours’.
Some of the issues raised by patients were:
* Why there was only one staff member at the clinic?
* If there is shortage of staff, why is the department not hiring?
* What was the procedure for taking hours owed in lieu of overtime?
* How long should a patient expect to wait to be assisted?
* Why are nurses not wearing their name tags?
* How many tea breaks are nurses allowed?
They have called on the Health Minister to intervene and assist in improving service at the clinic.
The office of the MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo was made aware of the issue. At first, head of communications, Agiza Hlongwane, had a go at the Herald’s staff, requesting that the department be furnished with all particulars of the complaining patients.
In order for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health to process your enquiry, kindly please provide the following details: name and surname of the patient, patient number and ID number and patient’s contact details, as well as the times and dates, – Agiza Hlongwane
When asked if this was the new procedure for media-related queries, he failed to answer and instead said it was going to help them, as a department.
When a detailed query containing most of the requested information was sent, including pictures, Mr Hlongwane could not be reached for comment.
Even though several calls and emails were sent to him requesting a comment, he said the Herald should contact someone else, as he was at an event.
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