Nurses at City Clinic down tools
HUNDREDS of patients at the Kimberley City Clinic could not be assisted yesterday after nurses downed tools.
Community members who went to the clinic in Bultfontein Road for medical assistance yesterday, indicated that they were left unattended for hours while staff members were locked inside a meeting.
An eight-month pregnant woman said that she had been waiting for hours since early in the morning for someone to assist her.
“I was at the clinic at 7.30am and waited for several hours for assistance. Nobody came to assist us. We were merely informed that the nurses were not working and were having a meeting. There was no indication given about how long the meeting would be or whether the nurses would resume their duties once the meeting was over. No one came out and told us what was happening,” the woman said.
She said that yesterday’s visit to the clinic should have been her last check-up before she was due to give birth.
“I don’t know what I am supposed to do before I go to hospital to have my baby,” she said.
Another patient said that she was also told that she could decide whether to wait for assistance or leave.
“I got here at 7am. I normally come early so that I can be in the front of the queue when the nurses draw our files. However, by 11am we had still not been assisted,” she said.
She added that patients were informed that the nurses had downed tools due to a shortage of staff.
“We were told to either wait or come back another day, but patients cannot just arrive whenever they feel like it and we are usually given a specific appointment day to attend the clinic,” she pointed out.
Many patients opted to wait for assistance.
When the DFA arrived at the clinic yesterday, the clinic manager indicated that they did not want to speak to the media.
Northern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Lulu Mxkezo, failed to respond to media enquiries yesterday and said that she would only be in a position to do so today.
Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson, Thoko Riet, said that the issue involved employees of the Department of Health and not municipal nursing staff.