‘Total chaos’ in queues outside health centres
Not enough capacity to marshal physical distancing – claim
PHYSICAL distancing for those queueing outside clinics remains a challenge in the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum chairperson Graham Lindhorst said yesterday he was disturbed by the situation outside the Bishop Lavis, Delft and Symphony health centres.
“Pictures have been posted on social media of how patients were not kept apart at Bishop Lavis and Delft community health centres, while I saw the total chaos at Symphony Health Centre,” he said.
“We fail to understand how the government department that is supposed to be on the forefront of fighting the virus is the very department that does not care what happens outside their facilities while clients wait to be served.
“We request that urgent attention be given to this matter,” Lindhorst added.
Tygerberg and Northern Sub-district head of health Juanita Arendse said such incidents were reported at “just about every public health centre facility across the metro”.
“We have to prioritise health care in the facility and ensure that testing teams are deployed so something like queue marshalling doesn’t fall off the table,” Arendse said.
Provincial Health spokesperson Mark van der Heever said Capetonians needed to be mindful of the lockdown regulations and only visit these facilities in the event of an emergency.
“We have, where possible, staff who act as marshals to ensure clients keep 1.5m apart.
“However, not all clients adhere to this request,” Van der Heever said.
Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said the monitoring and control of physical distancing outside health facilities was everyone’s responsibility.
“Health workers cannot go outside the boundaries; not only is it not safe, but they will expose the public to infection when moving in-between inside and outside,” she added.
But according to Lindhorst, the Health Department “are at the forefront of saying what needs to be done to prevent the spread of the virus, but they are now the ones that are creating a situation where more people will be infected”.