Patients suffer as Turton Clinic struggles
According to insiders, staff at the clinic were overworked, had not been paid overtime, and were working under difficult conditions.
The Turton Community Health Centre has reportedly not been operating properly for some time, leaving patients from Umzumbe and Mtwalume asking the provincial department of health to intervene.
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Patient, Sindisiwe Kunene (55) said services at the clinic had deteriorated as staff were unhappy that management had failed to resolve certain internal issues to their satisfaction.
Ms Kunene lives near the clinic and said that sometimes at night there were no lights to be seen in the casualty building and staff were nowhere to be found.
“I’ve often heard people complain that they were not being attended to, especially those who use the clinic in the afternoon,” she said.
The frustrated patient said sometimes staff did not show up for work, which resulted in a total shutdown of the clinic.
According to insiders, staff at the clinic were overworked, had not been paid overtime, and were working under difficult conditions.
“Our overtime payments have not been made since 2016 but the health department seems to be turning a blind eye,” said one nurse at the clinic.
Another gripe was that staff who had resigned or died had reportedly not been replaced.
The KZN Department of Health confirmed that it was aware of the staff challenges being experienced at the community health centre, with spokesman, Ncumisa Mafunda saying, “The department is attending to this matter, and is confident that it will be resolved.
“Furthermore, the department has a good working relationship with organised labour and, as such, wishes to urge any employees who may have grievances related to labour relations to follow established mechanisms to air such grievances.”
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