EC health facilities receive visits from EFF
EASTERN Cape EFF interim provincial leaders, MPs, MPLs and councillors yesterday embarked on oversight visits to various healthcare facilities.
They found that the majority of facilities they visited had long queues and were understaffed.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday while visiting Grey Hospital in King William’s Town, Bhisho legislature MPL Yazini Tetyana said his party’s focus for 2018 was to make sure there was an improvement in conditions of public healthcare facilities across the country.
“In the province, we are concerned that our people have to sometimes travel long distances just to seek help for the sick and dying. It’s a shame that our people sit in long queues in hospitals unattended,” said Tetyana.
EFF members were divided into seven groups, which yesterday visited 18 health facilities all across provincial districts.
Hospitals visited yesterday included Grey, Dora Nginza in Port Elizabeth, Butterworth Hospital, Frontier Hospital in Komani, Settlers Hospital in Grahamstown, Mthatha General Hospital, Madzikane ka Zulu Memorial in KwaBhaca, Mount Ayliff Hospital, Taylor Bequest Hospital in Mount Fletcher, St Patrick’s Hospital in Bizana, Canzibe Hospital in Ngqeleni, Silimela Hospital in Port St Johns and St Elizabeth in Lusikisiki.
The EFF teams also visited Gateway Clinic in Butterworth, Gompo Clinic in East London, NU17 Clinic in Mdantsane, Ngangelizwe Community Health Centre in Mthatha and Mhlakulo Healthcare Centre in Tsolo.
EFF MP Thembinkosi Rawula led a delegation to Dora Nginza, while his counterpart at the National Assembly, Vuyokazi Khethabahle, led a delegation to Butterworth Hospital.
This was while another party MP, Zolile Xalisa, visited Frontier Hospital and MPL Litha Zibula led a delegation to Settlers Hospital.
“They [facilities] simply lack capacity to deal with influx of patients and the health department has no shame and no care for human life.
“Ambulance shortages remain key in contributing to many unnecessary deaths,” said Tetyana.
He said this year the party would be “all out” in advocating for quality healthcare and for clinics to remain open 24 hours a day.
In Komani, Xalisa and his team started their oversight visit with a meeting with Frontier Hospital management, before inspecting the hospital to hear what the problems facing patients and staff are.
He said their visit was meant to assist everyone who is involved in the public health sector.
Frontier’s acting CEO Dr Hubert Mushid said they were having a major challenge with filing.
“The hospital is under renovations and the area we are using for filing is small. As soon as the renovations are done we will be able to use a bigger area to keep our files,” he told the EFF delegation.
Mushid said they had a volume of patients.
“We have only one radiologist and that puts too much work on her. We are also struggling to retain young doctors,” he said.
Tetyana said they would compile reports and submit them to the legislature and parliament. — huge