Giving birth not an option for Diepsloot moms

The two small clinics operating in the township’s Ext 2 and Ext 7 close their doors at 4pm every day, and there is no maternity wing to assist women in labour.

Residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Fourways Review that it was risky to be pregnant in Diepsloot – unless one could afford to hire a car for R400 to the Tembisa or Helen Joseph hospitals.

A DA councillor in the area, Refilwe Mathebula, concurred with the residents. “Ambulances do not treat pregnancies as emergencies, one has to hire a car for R400,” she said.

“What then happens if one can’t afford R400? Most women from poor backgrounds die in Diepsloot while giving birth. And this is sad.”

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Mathebula added that it was shocking that such a populous township was without even minimal medical facilities at night.

“People are dying from easily treatable stab wounds at night because clinics [are] closed. Are we saying people should not fall sick at night? We can’t debate forever about the need for a 24/7 hospital in Diepsloot while people are dying,” said the energetic young councillor.

Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi who visited the township recently, expressed shock that the residents did not have access to medical care in the evening.

“It is a shame that a big township like Diepsloot has no hospital,” said Lesufi.

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During a social imbizo, the MEC promised residents that one of the tiny clinics would be immediately upgraded into a provincial clinic.

“We must identify land in Diepsloot now and build a hospital, but in the meantime this clinic must be upgraded into a provincial clinic. Diepsloot actually needs two hospitals,” Lesufi said.

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