The Ekurhuleni Metro has responded to allegations about senior clerk Mzwandile Zwane, who allegedly refused to assist Jennifer Mokoena at the Springs Clinic.
Metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe says Zwane has disputed all allegations against him namely that he refused to help Mokoena, whose file had been missing numerous times at the clinic.
Mokoena alleged Zwane refused to assist her to find her clinic file in order for her to receive her medication.
“According to the senior clerk, the patient was asked to take a seat while he searched for the original health record that contained all the medical information and recorded the last visit made to the clinic in June 2017,” says Gadebe.
Gadebe notes that the misplaced file was, however, retrieved after the client had left the health facility.
“The City of Ekurhuleni regrets the alleged misfiling of the health record and will undertake on-site training on filing and retrieval of health records to prevent future occurrences,” says Gadebe.
The city’s health department is not aware of Mokoena’s claim that this wasn’t the first time her file went missing.
The health department says processes will be explained to staff to prevent such occurrences from happening in the future.
The metro notes that patients visiting the health facility are encouraged to follow the complaints procedure which is displayed in the clinic in various languages.
Patients are also encouraged to escalate complaints to the sub-district or corporate management should their concerns not be resolved at the clinic.
However, if possible, this should be done before the complainant leaves the clinic to ensure prompt resolution of complaints and continued service delivery.
Should patients not wish to discuss their complaint or suggestion with the clinic manager, a visible complaint or suggestion box has been placed in the reception area for patients to access.
The metro has also said personnel will be given in-service training to improve customer relations.
