Alex residents were urged to seek medical advice and services from other clinics nearest to them than to flood the Alexandra Community Health Care Centre on Vincent Tshabalala Road.
Ward 119 councillor Adolph Marema encouraged them to do so, saying several other clinics in the township offered most essential medical support they needed. The facility, which was taken over by the provincial government a couple of years ago, was temporarily closed in the second week of the lockdown after a nurse was diagnosed positive for the coronavirus. She was quarantined and the facility, which was temporarily closed, was re-opened after it was fumigated and caused a scare to other staff and patients.
Marema said concerns that the residents could avoid the facility didn’t materialise. “They still flock there, burdening it and causing an imbalance in the distribution of similar services offered at other clinics run by the city.” He urged those who want to test for the virus to also go to the East Bank Clinic, which is one of the three offering this service in Region E. He warned, “By crowding at the centre, you contravene social distancing and risk either contracting or spreading the virus.”
The provincial health department’s spokesperson Sandile Gwayi said the residents were generally compliant said the facility was a model of services. It’s emulated by others on coronavirus delivery services but shouldn’t be unnecessarily overburdened or strained. “For the residents’ convenience, its prudent that they also use facilities closest to them as they also have a wide range of services,”Gwayi said.
