Durban — The community of Umzimkhulu on Monday took to the streets demanding that the Embizweni Clinic not to be closed or moved.
The protesters closed the road with uprooted trees and burnt tyres.
It is alleged that the district department of health representatives has repeatedly tried to move the clinic files and staff members to St Margaret’s Clinic 5km away from the community.
Embizweni Clinic is said to have been operating for more than 40 years within the premises of the section for mentally challenged patients at the hospital.
Ten years later, it was moved into a four-room house which was reported to have been a temporary solution.
Community leader and provincial acting secretary of Operation Dudula, Bheki Dzanibe, said a tender of R1.5 million was advertised to revamp the clinic last year.
He said they were shocked when they heard the district had opted to relocate the clinic instead of rebuilding it.
“We were hoping the clinic would be rebuilt after the tender was advertised. But no one explained anything to us, we just saw people from the district moving files and the nurses to the other clinic. We stopped them as soon as we heard about this. Where did the money go? We need answers!
“Our elderly people have been forced to travel to get to those clinics. We went to the clinic and fetched all the files and took them back to our clinic, which is closer to the people.
“Now the district wants to take them back. We cannot allow that. We trusted this government to do good by us but we just realised that the apartheid government was better because services were rendered to the people,” said Dzanibe.
He said moving the clinic was of no good use, as St Margaret Clinic was facing staff shortages. And its toilets were in bad condition.
“The queues there are always long and the building is too small to be adding more people into it. How can overloading short-staffed nurses be a solution? asked Dzanibe.
He said the clinic was at the epicentre of 14 villages and has more than 3 000 patients.
“We do not want to fight or cause any trouble. The department has promised us that it won’t move the clinic. Therefore we want a clinic built with suitable good facilities and equipment. We also demand a thorough investigation on what happened to the money that was sent to rebuild the clinic. Those people must account,” said Dzanibe.
He said the department “must remove foreign national employees in health institutions because qualified South Africans are unemployed”.
One resident Tholakele Sikhosana, 57, said due to the disruptions chronic patients were defaulting on their medication. Sikhosana said she would have to take two taxis to other clinics if this one was removed.
“We are unemployed and most of our children are not employed as well. How are we expected to get to clinics that are far from us without money? My children who now have my grandchildren all attended this clinic, including me.
“But now we have to travel to get basic healthcare assistance? This is really hurtful because this place has been our go-to place,” she said.
Spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal health department Ntokozo Maphisa said the department has not made any pronouncements about closing the clinic.
He said there were numerous public consultations at community level, including meetings held in July and September last year regarding the future of the clinic.
“This process, which is ongoing, has been open and inclusive and is being spearheaded by the local inkosi, the mayor, as well as departmental officials. The next meeting to deal with this matter is scheduled for next week on a date to be confirmed in due course,” said Maphisa.
Umzimkhulu Local Municipality’s mayor Jabu Msiya had not commented by the time of publication.
Daily News