DA asks Health MEC to turn clinic lights back on

9 October 2018

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is calling on the MEC of Health, Fufe Makatong to urgently see to it that the department settles its outstanding debt owed to Dawid Kruiper Municipality in Upington.

As of the 1 October 2018, both Paballelo and Straussburg Clinics have been functioning without electricity due to the department’s failure to settle its outstanding debt totalling thousands of Rands.

As a result, R140 000 worth of immunisations have had to be stored in cool temperatures, at an alternative venue with electricity. This in turn results in the nurse having to drive up and down at her own expense, leading to even longer lines at the already dysfunctional clinics.

With temperatures between 31 and 38 degrees this is intolerable.

Clinics cannot function without electricity and it is unacceptable that consultations and diagnoses must be done in the dark.

The current conditions at the clinics are a breeding ground for medico-legal and other health-related risks. The health department needs to urgently pay its debt to enable the nurses to deliver proper healthcare services to the communities.

Only change under a DA-led government will ensure that health facilities keep the lights on so that the basic health needs of all people can be met.

Issued by Andrew Louw, DA Northern Cape Premier Candidate, 9 October 2018